Twenty Six
by IWillBeThereWhereYouAre
Summary: The A-Z guide to being a human, according to a vampire. what I hope would happen between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. this is my first Twilight fic, so please be gentle!
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**The Twilight series belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me. Please don't sue me.**

**Chapter One – Prologue**

It felt like I had been sleeping for days when I finally stirred. The first thing I saw, as I lay in _his _bed, was him. He was standing by the window, nearly lost in the flowing curtains.

"What are you doing?" I asked, choked by sleep. He turned to me as if I had startled him.

"I'm thinking." He replied gruffly. It had taken him no time to be back under the covers with me.

I pressed my hand on his shoulder. "What are you thinking _about_?" I knew the answer.

"You." He said, fingering a strand of my hair. Normally, his voice would be enough to make me feel euphoric. But the way he said it sounded so morose, like I was dying or going away. "In less than a month, I will be stealing your humanity."

"I don't think it counts as stealing." I slid my hands along his perfectly sculpted chest. His expression did not seem to lighten at all, despite my best efforts. "Especially since I am giving it up." He continued looking moody. His eyes were that piercing topaz, hard with self-loathing. I was beginning to lose my patience with his constant guilt. All the persuasion I could muster went into my monologue. "Edward, I've made a choice. I want you and you alone for now and forever."

The early morning rain pounded heavily outside the window. His voice was small as he spoke. "Your sentiment is lovely, Bella, but I still feel like I am robbing you..."

"You're not robbing me!" I sighed, exasperated. My voice was two steps away from yelling. I threw myself back into the mattress, losing my patience. I wanted nothing more than to convince him how foolish he was being. "If it will make you feel better, we'll spend the next twenty six days experiencing everything being human has to offer." Those words were only half mocking. A glimmer of a smile appeared on his gloomy face. "The A to Z guide to being a human."

Finally, he chuckled. The amiable laughter was more than welcomed. The room had felt heavy through the conversation. It now felt lighter. "A to Z guide to being a human? According to a monster?" He was breathless from the chuckling which had evolved into full-blown laughter. Finally safe from his wrath, I inched closer and snuggled under his arm. "I think you need to get some more sleep—you are delirious."

If I hadn't been yawning when he said it, I would've fought him about it. Instead, I just snuggled closer. Within a few minutes, I would probably fall back asleep.

There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes for the rest of the morning.

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	2. Chapter 2 A is for Arcade Fire

Still own nothing. Still would like not to get sued.

**Chapter Two – A is for Arcade Fire**

(that same day...)

(AN: the song mentioned is "Wake Up" from _Funeral_.)

"Do you plan on telling me where we're driving?" I asked indignantly. He merely shook his head.

"It's a surprise," he stated delicately. "I wouldn't want to ruin it for you."

"Please. Ruin it. I hate surprises."

He laughed at my juvenile tendencies. "I know you hate them, but you're just going to have to tough it up. You've got a lot of surprises coming up over the next month."

This made me even more aggravated. "I can hardly wait." The second the words came out; I realized how ungrateful it had sounded. Still, my fit continued. He knew I hated surprises, and he knew I hated gifts.

Silence consumed us both as Edward navigated the roads. The sunset had turned the sky a brilliant mixture of orange and blue. It was something that belonged in paintings.

"Have you figured it out yet?" He casually turned up the music, to no concern of mine. I merely shrugged apathetically. He followed suit. "This one's my favorite." It was like he was speaking to himself. He tapped along with the beat on his steering wheel; his head rocked lightly with the drums. The song was catchy, and I found myself tapping along involuntarily.

I turned my gaze outside the window, watching the road disappear underneath us. He refused to slow down, despite my constant nagging. It was then I saw my first clue of sorts. A green sign on the side of the road.

Seattle. Ten miles.

"You're getting closer." He said knowingly, watching my eyes grow wide in realization. "Let me know when you figure it out."

I made no promises that I would figure it out, or tell him if I did. I truly hated surprises.

When we finally reached Seattle, it had taken me several minutes before it dawned on me that we were standing in a line. We were engulfed in people, holding hands and looking eager. They all waited on tiptoes for something I had no idea. All I longed to do was hold Edward's hand.

"Have you figured it out _yet_?"

His words caught me off guard as I shivered in the light mist. My punishment for forgetting a jacket. "I haven't."

"Good." His smile was triumphant, and he brought me under his arm. Even though it had done nothing to stop my shivering, I was never going to complain. The closeness was enough for me.

The crowd in front of us slowly began to taper off, revealing the neon signs of a theater.

I looked around desperately for clues, and Edward approached the ticket master. The tickets exchanged hands as I stood at a distance, and I noticed the giant black sign standing in front of me.

Arcade Fire, live at 8:00.

I looked down at my watch foolishly. It was 7:35.

"Hey, Edward..." I tugged on his arm the second he was in my proximity. He looked at me wide eyed, and wrapping himself around me. "I think I've figured out what the surprise is."

The last thing I heard before the flood of noise was his supple laughter.

I _knew_ he had spent an outrageous amount of money on these tickets. We were nearly in the front row. The seats were close enough to feel the sweat pouring off the stage.

It hindered my good time slightly. A negligible amount, though.

His arms never left my side the entire night. My ears were ringing from the constant roars of the crowds and the pounding amps. I would be deaf for a month, of this I was certain.

Another song had begun with its pulsing guitar beat. I recognized the opening chords instantly. It was the song he had been playing in the car. His favorite. The onstage lights sparkled in his already glimmering eyes. The crowd roared with applause; our fingers entwined even tighter.

Edward wrapped his arms around my waist, and his chin rested comfortably on my shoulder. I felt every sweet breath on my cheek, and we swayed together to the music. I closed my eyes, having never felt freer in my life. My arms stretched up as far as they could, and his hips were guiding mine in movement. It no longer felt like we were drowning in a sea of strangers. We were alone, moving rhythmically and amorously together.

I was dancing without even thinking. Without trying.

The concert hall was packed, filling with the sweat from bodies grinding together. Yet his body was like a gust of cold breeze against me. In my ear, I could hear him humming along with every note. Adrenaline pumped throughout my entire nervous system.

I wanted to get high on this moment for the rest of my life.

"That was... " I exclaimed, clinging to his arm. If I let go for one second, I would most likely crash onto the ground. He didn't seem to mind being my walking crutch. My mind couldn't even fathom the words to describe the feeling coursing throughout me. Tonight I was determined to not close my eyes. I wanted to stay awake, despite the late hours of the night.

Edward smiled beautifully. "I'm glad you liked it. They always put on a good show." He made no big deal out of opening the silver Volvo door open for me. I tumbled inside, half drunk off of giddiness. "You did like it, right?"

"Are you kidding?" I scoffed, fastening my seat belt. The car roared to a start, and he prepared himself for the drive.

Maybe it was the adrenaline from the concert. Maybe it was my undeniable attraction to his beautiful smile. Either way, I impulsively leaned over and gave him a small peck on the cheek. My Wild Raspberry lip gloss left a small print on his pallid cheek. He looked at me, astounded. "What was that for?"

"Sometimes you can be so mysterious. It's nice sharing something like this with you."

He removed his hand from the steering wheel, devoting every ounce of attention on me. My heart began racing as he placed his hand on my cheek. Neither of us moved an inch, we just sat there letting ourselves succumb to the excitement of the night.

"We should probably head back." He said, unwillingly breaking the trance. I frowned slightly, but I perked up instantaneously.

There was still night time ahead of us.

**PLEAASE review. I don't like people that beg for reviews, but...hypocricy is a lot of fun sometimes.**


	3. Chapter 3 B is for Birthday

I don't own Twilight or its characters

**Thank you, everyone that added this to their favorites. It makes my heart swell with pride, and hopefully I don't disappoint!**

**I don't own Twilight or its characters. Because if I possessed the Cullens, would I be writing **_**stories**_** about them??**

**Chapter Three – B is for Birthday**

"So what would you like to do today?" He was playing with the strap of my tank top while we lay on top of my comforter. I shrugged, playing on my innocence. He clearly had no idea of the plans in my head.

"I have a few things in mind." I'd never been a good liar, so I figured ambiguity was my best route to take. He looked at me curiously, running his finger along my shoulder. As if his touch would break my silence. I, however, would not be broken. Not today.

My devilishness surprised even me.

"Would you like to elaborate? Or will you leave me guessing all day?" Even when he was trying to ruin my surprise, his melodious voice made everything sound beautiful.

"Turnabout is fair play." I whispered into his ear seductively, and he eyed me suspiciously. "I'm just saying... don't make any plans for today, alright."

He agreed begrudgingly, but from the look in his eyes, today would be a fight.

Unfortunately for him, I had enough energy to take him on.

Alice and Esme had been my loyal accomplices as I had planned this. They had called Edward away early in the morning, making up some story about needing help with the car. He bought it, and left my side reluctantly. It was the only time I had ever been grateful for his departure.

Planning a surprise party for someone with mind-reading capabilities proved to be quite difficult. But with my immunity, and his refusal to violate their privacy as much as possible, things were surprisingly easy.

Charlie was helping me blow up balloons when the phone rang.

"Hey Bella it's me." It was Alice. The urgency in her voice was undeniable. "Everything's going okay over there? You don't need anything?"

"It's going great. I'm going to smell like latex for the next month, but everything's okay." I chuckled, and she laughed vibrantly. It bothered me I couldn't read his mind. So I went for the next best thing. "Does he have any idea?"

"Not a clue." I wouldn't be surprised if she was grinning with pride as she said that. "We'll see you in a couple hours." The phone hung up abruptly.

I demanded everybody hide when the doorbell clanged. The entire Cullen family (including Rosalie and Emmett, visiting for the summer.) ducked behind couches and chairs. Charlie was unoriginal, and simply leaned up against the wall out of sight. I ran to the door, trying to calm myself. He could read me like a book; he would figure it out for sure. My smile was wild as I opened the door. His hair was slightly damp from the rain, and his cheeks looked almost as if they had some color to them. His eyes were soft and liquid caramel.

"Hi." I squealed, pecking him on the cheek. Edward stepped in through the door.

"Hi. Why are you acting so strange?" He inquired, slipping off his shoes by the door, like every other day. I shrugged, hiding every bit of child-like excitement in me. It did nothing to convince him everything was normal. We turned the corner, and before he could question my eccentric behavior...

"Surprise!" Everybody called out, like this was a scene in a movie. Instead of excited eyes or jubilant smile, Edward stood there. Analyzing everything. He was as motionless as a marble statue. The happy smile had been replaced with confusion or anger. I couldn't tell the difference.

"Excuse me for a second." Edward said politely but alarmed. He dragged me by my arm, so we were out of hearing range from the crowd. "What's going on?"

"Charlie asked me when your birthday was." I shrugged, providing him with no relief. "I had to lie, obviously. Then he insisted on throwing you a party."

From the look on his face I could tell he wasn't buying it.

"Okay, maybe the party _was _my idea... but Charlie said we should have it here." I really was the terrible liar. With each word, Edward seemed to be panicking exponentially. "It's not a big deal, Edward. Really. I wanted to do this." I grabbed his hand and petted it consolingly. His eyes softened. "It's my last birthday party before..." I gulped, unable to finish the thought. "How often will I be throwing my boyfriend fake birthday parties when we're in Alaska?"

He bobbed his head along in agreement. My breaking him down had worked. "You had better not sing that ridiculous song."

It felt nice knowing I was in the clear. Edward brought me along to the sham of a party I had thrown on him, and he had plastered on a fake smile to go with it. He knew how happy it was making me, so I knew he wouldn't complain.

He tore through the carefully wrapped box. It was obvious his role was becoming easier to play. Curiosity was turning him into a young boy at Christmastime. Carlisle and Esme insisted they opened his first, and he ravished through the shimmering silver paper.

"It was my grandfather's." Carlisle cleared his throat. Every word he said was true. "He gave it to my father on his 19th birthday, who gave it to me on my nineteenth. Now I'm giving it to you." He put a hand on Edward's shoulder, suppressing an emotional breakdown. Both Esme and I looked weepy as the two exchanged gazes. The uninitiated never would have guessed that they weren't actually father and son. In the biological sense, of course.

"Mine next." Emmett exclaimed jubilantly, literally tossing his present into Edward's lap. We all chuckled at his overexcitement, and the curt ending to a very tender moment. Edward looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I motioned for him to continue. He followed obediently, being reckless with the paper. It was a Roy Orbison box set. There was a gleam in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. He was enjoying it. All of it. Opening birthday presents, surrounded by people who loved him. Pretending he was human. Part of me felt ruthless. It was like I was taunting him with these human experiences.

But then I saw him smiling. He had just unwrapped Alice's gift—personalized sheet music. His normally sparkling smile was now glistening with pure elation. I knew it wasn't torture.

"Here, uh… open mine next." Charlie cleared his throat, handing Edward the present. He was certainly trying. Trying to be nice, trying to accept that we were going to get married, trying to accept school in Alaska. Some days were harder than others.

Edward pulled out a navy blue sweatshirt with yellow letters sprawled across the front.

Alaska.

Both Edward and I looked at Charlie, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The sudden attention on him made him squirm uncomfortably. "I guess this is my way of saying that I'm... okay with you and Bella living in Alaska." He gave both Edward and I a slight grin, and kicked his feet around, uneasy with the emotional nature. "Just please don't come back as Icedogs fans."

Edward laughed harder than I did. Partially because I would never like sports, so sports teams were completely lost on me. And partially because I knew I wouldn't be coming back.

"Okay, I think it's time for cake!" Esme chimed in, understanding why I had suddenly turned completely pale. Sometimes her maternal instincts were more blatant than others.

She ducked into the kitchen, retrieving my baking masterpiece. It seemed foolish baking a cake for a fake birthday, for a family who wouldn't be eating it. But I was caught in the whirlwind of planning a party for him; the cake seemed essential at the time. I finally understood why Alice loved throwing all those parties for me.

Jasper casually flicked the lights off, and Esme followed her cue perfectly. The room was illuminated by the glow of many wax candles. She began humming, implying the tradition would carry on. Despite my promise. Edward looked at me, crossly. I merely shrugged, and everyone soon began singing along.

At the end of the song, we all began clapping. He sat there, almost as if he wasn't sure what to do next. I helped him along, avoiding an awkward situation. "Make a wish, Edward!"

He looked pensively at the blazing cake, then smiled to himself as if he had an inside joke he wasn't sharing. He took a deep breath (continuing the illusion) and had the flames extinguished in no time.

"I'm glad none of them bought overly lavish gifts." I sighed, fingering the silver pocket watch. The party had dispersed, and now only Edward and I sat in the living room. "I don't think it would've been easy explaining a new car to Charlie." Edward chuckled at my true confession. I'd outright threatened each of them under penalty of death not to buy him outrageous gifts. Everybody knew the Cullens had money; they didn't know how much.

Edward looked stunned by something. "You're going to pay for this, you know." There was no hint of a real threat in his voice. It was playful, and I knew that he would never punish me. Not again.

I smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "Totally worth it."

"May I ask why, though?" He approached the topic cautiously, as if he were walking on eggshells. "A birthday party?"

I took a deep breath, contemplating the many reasons. "Well, for one, I wanted to punish you for having Alice throw me a birthday party _and _a graduation party." My sarcastic answer lightened the tension in the room. I moved carelessly from the chair, next to Edward on the couch, resting my feet on his legs. "I've always wanted to throw a birthday party." I began counting off the reasons as he scooted closer towards me. "And I figured I won't be having any more birthdays, so I wanted to have, without sounding lame, one last hurrah."

"Those are entirely rational." His voice was barely above a sultry whisper. I moved in closer to hear him. "I am completely surprised. Rationality is normally not your strong suit."

I playfully slapped him on the shoulder. He winced, despite the fact that there is no way I could've inflicted damage. We were playing. It all ended with me falling into his arms, breathless from laughter.

"By the way..." I asked, nestling into his arms. He motioned for me to continue. "What did you wish for?"

He grinned. "An eternity with you."

And I grinned at him back. "You can't wish for what you already have."

"There's nothing else I need." He smirked. "Thank you for the party, Bella. Misguided as it was...the gesture was idealistic." He kissed my forehead, and we laid on the couch in each others arms until Charlie kicked him out.

He returned that night through the window anyway.

EN: I really wanted to have Bella throw a pretend birthday party for Edward. If there's some nitpicky detail that I messed up, I'm sorry. Just keep in mind that it's a pretend party.

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	4. Chapter 4 C is for Candlelight

**Thanks for the reviews. And to answer your question shakespeares rose, I don't know how they would deal with the cake issue. I honestly didn't give much thought about it. Though the food thing comes up again, and I will try and deal with that as it arises.**

**Let me check...yep. Still own nothing.**

**Chapter Four – C is for Candlelight**

"Can I open my eyes yet?" I called out, impatient like a child. Edward had one arm covering my closed eyes, and one wrapped around my waist as he led me somewhere. Somewhere I had no idea about.

Edward merely chuckled. "You can open your eyes. You just won't see anything."

If I wasn't so infuriated with him, I would have laughed. He knew how much I despised surprises, yet he was insisting that I walk into this blind. Each step felt more and more like I was walking towards an ambush.

I felt his lips along my earlobe, and even his gentle whispering startled me. "Alright, love. You can open your eyes."

The pressure of his hand rescinded, and I forced myself to open my eyes slowly. Night had fallen on the Cullen's backyard, yet the muted flame of several candles stood out like fireflies. I turned to Edward, and there was enough light to see him smiling at me.

"So this is my punishment for throwing you a party?" I questioned him, recalling last night's conversation. "A candlelight dinner?"

He nodded, courteously leading me towards the table. Soft jazz music was playing in the background. Edward pulled out my chair for me; he truly was a gentleman. I examined the spread closer, noticing the delicious plate of pasta in the center. My mouth watered at the smell. He must have noticed both my hunger and my impatience. He chuckled to himself as he served me the luscious food.

And to my complete and utter amazement, Edward nonchalantly placed some of the dish on his own plate, and twirled some around his fork. Each bite he took was with an expressionless sense of heroics.

"I thought you said eating food was like eating dirt." I said suspiciously.

"I did, and it is." He said, grimacing slightly. His heroics were failing. "But I promised. The entire human experience."

"You never promised to eat dirt for me."

"Bella, I would walk to the ends of the world for you." He smiled, flecks of fire reflecting gently in his smile. "A plate of pasta is manageable."

"You are either crazy or completely devoted." I shook my head, resuming my dinner.

"I sincerely hope it's the second." He beamed, putting his fork down. He was flawlessly beautiful, even in the dark.

"You've really thought these things through, haven't you?" I asked bewildered by his thoroughness. "The concert, candlelight dinners..."

"This is more than just appeasing my guilt, Bella." He murmured. "Without you, my life is darkness. Without sounding too clichéd, you are like a candle to me, lighting my way." He looked down, as if he was embarrassed to be so attractive. "Your happiness means everything to me."

"You don't have to worry." I brushed his hand, leaning in towards him. "Whenever I'm around you, I am more than happy."

We sat in the silence, barely moving. His soft hands caressed my face like a gentle wind, causing my heart rate to skyrocket. The air in my lungs evaporated, and if I hadn't been sitting, passing out would be inevitable.

His hands rescinded, noting my dizziness. "So, tell me. How is the food? Because I'm not really used to preparing food for humans."

"It's amazing." I muttered, twirling my fork around in it, trying to distract myself. I really wanted him to kiss me right now. "Just like you."

"Despite how cheesy you sound right now, I love you." He hummed, normal words sounding like music the way he spoke them. The metal fork clanged loudly as he set it down on his plate. The table trembled as he stood and walked around it. I felt his arms wrap around me, and his face lingered centimeters away from mine. "Is it alright if I kiss you?"

"Always the gentlemen." I mumbled, finding it difficult to speak with his saccharine breath caressing my face like this. His lips were cold and hard as they pressed on mine—a feeling that I had grown accustomed to. Each of his motions were well-planned and vigilant. His hands twisted up in my hair, and my hands ran along his stony chest.

I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything in the world.

**Keep in mind: reviews are love!**


	5. Chapter 5 D is for Daisies

**This chapter's a little shorter. Sorry.**

**I own nothing. Seriously.**

**Chapter five – D is for Daisies**

The day had been dragging on. There was days that I hated this job. Days that were long, especially when there were no customers. Days that were hard because I could be with Edward. My replacement had called in sick, and Mrs. Newton was desperate. Edward had put on a brave face, claiming that he could manage a few hours without me.

In short, it sucked having to leave him. Even for a four-hour shift.

It had been raining all morning; not exactly conducive for sports equipment shopping. Mike had threatened to close up early, but he never really was good at following up with his promises. I think deep down he didn't want to deprive me of my last day at work. All I had to do for the next two hours was stand around and sigh heavily.

The bell above the door chimed loudly as someone walked in. I nearly passed out, out of shock.

The room was spinning slightly, and I felt lightheaded as soon as I realized that it was Edward. My knight in shining armor, here to rescue me from the boredom.

"I heard you looked really bored." He said with a saccharine smile. "Mike is trying to come up with ways of entertaining you, but there aren't any." He had lowered his voice to a coarse whisper, and I stifled my giggling. "How much longer until your shift is over?"

"Too much time." I said, leaning heavily against the counter. Edward's face was mere inches away from mine. I really believed it was going to kiss me. Instead, we shared breaths and gazed amorously at each other. It made my heart pound just as heavily as kissing him would've. "I love you." It felt nice to say it out loud.

He smiled, drawing even closer towards me. Our cheeks were practically kissing. "Oh. These are for you." He removed one hand that had been attached to his back, revealing a large bouquet of white daisies. Completely surprised, I gasped. "I remember you had said they were your favorite. I thought maybe it would make up for you having to work today."

It was not possible to smile wider than I was in that moment.

"Did I tell you how much I loved you?" I asked, running my hands along the petals. They were smooth and soft, slightly wet from the rain.

He laughed. "I believe you mentioned it."

"Well, I'm saying it again." I put the bouquet down on the counter, and stared straight into his golden eyes. "I love you." The look in his eyes said that the feeling was reciprocated.

And suddenly the day didn't seem quite as long.

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	6. Chapter 6 E is for Elementary School

**I own nothing. And suing me would be pointless. Point. Less.**

**Chapter Six – E is for Elementary School**

"I'm supposed to be doing things for you, you know." Edward protested; I paid no attention to his complaints. I navigated the cloudy roads, still soaked with the day's rain.

"You're just mad I wouldn't let you drive." I chuckled, but Edward couldn't quite see the humor in it. "You can relax. We're here." The truck jerked as it stopped.

Once we had exited, Edward looked at me warily. I grabbed his hand and guided him along, bringing our speed up to a human-paced run. Our shoes slid across the slick grass as we ran.

I stopped breathlessly as we reached it. In the distance, a small brick schoolhouse rested quietly. Directly before us was a disheveled tangle of rusting iron. And in the center of a giant sand pit, a swing set. My childhood memories flashed swiftly before my eyes.

"You wanted to take me to an elementary school?" He asked bewildered. I nodded vehemently.

"Charlie used to bring me here all the time." I admitted, slipping off my black flip flops. Edward slipped off his own sandals, and grasped my hand assertively. I walked with him towards the swings happily. "He'd push me on the swings until it either got dark or started raining."

I sat down on the black rubber seat, despite the rain water that had collected on it. I would change when I got home. Standing behind me, Edward's hands pressed against my back, and gave me a little push.

After a few minutes of leisurely movement, I'd finally built up the courage to ask him something burning in my brain all morning. "Do you remember _anything_?" He looked at me warily. My clarification was quick. "Of your childhood, I mean."

His eyes softened, maybe the closest thing to nostalgia he could fathom. "I..." He began, but the words choked up in his throat. I was still swinging my legs, hoping for an answer. When one wasn't coming, I decided to give him a push of my own.

"When I was little, I loved playing dress up." I confessed. Edward's eyes were elucidated with curiosity. We both giggled foolishly as if we were children again. "Yeah, and I would always try and get into Renee's makeup and high heels. She eventually had to lock it up in a fireproof safe so I couldn't..."

"Her perfume." He said languorously. "I think my mother always had the sweetest smelling perfume on. I'd catch whiffs of it as she tucked me in at night." His smile was crooked but wistful. "I can't really remember much else, or be certain. It was a...long time ago." His eyes turned hard and he looked sorrowful. I was instantly wracked with guilt.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

He interrupted me promptly. "No. It's alright. I haven't even attempted to think about it in a long time." He pushed me a little harder, and I flew a little more in the air. "I take it you don't enjoy dress up anymore. I can recall prom..."

"Please don't bring that up." I groaned. My pace slackened.

He ignored me. "You complained quite a bit."

"I also colored with crayons and watched Power Rangers." I added. The subject had to be changed immediately. However, I was helping my case minutely. Edward laughed, mostly at me. "Ansd I was positive I was going to marry Jimmy Smith."

"Who is Jimmy Smith?" There was a slight hint of jealousy in his voice.

"My next door neighbor. He was a fourth grader who smiled at me once." I sighed, and Edward's jealousy seemed to have disappeared. Without his pushing, I sat idly, my feet stuck in the wet mud. "It was true love up until he moved away."

"And you didn't follow him?" He sounded appalled at my surrendering. A mock disgust, rather.

"I knew there was someone better for me out there." I gazed deep into his softening eyes. He slipped his hand around the chain and into my grasp. He put one finger on my lips, suppressing every thought I had at one point in my life.

"I'm very glad _Jimmy Smith_ didn't work out." The way he said his name was so distrustful. I grinned, amazed how his beauty still left me speechless. He lowered his lips towards mine, mashing them together clumsily. "I would hate to have to be a home wrecker." I could feel his smile, even as I gazed directly into his eyes.

"He was very short." I said, mesmerized by his kiss. "And he was really tan. I prefer my future husband be quite pale."

"And sparkle in the sunlight." He added, twirling his fingers through my hair. His melodic laughter rang in my ears for several minutes.

Edward continued pushing me on the swings, and I began pumping my legs. I gained speed rather quickly. Whether it was because of the swing, or the memory of Edward's kiss, I'm not sure.

Either way, it felt like I was flying.

**AN: This wasn't my FAVORITE chapter, but they do get better.**

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	7. Chapter 7 F is for Family

**I own nothing.**

**Chapter Seven – F is for Family**

I'd become nervous when Charlie had delayed cooking dinner until quarter to seven. We had expected Edward to come around seven, and I didn't want him to be sitting around bored while I choked down Charlie's attempt at cooking.

The doorbell had ringed, and I darted as fast as humanly possible.

We walked together to the kitchen, clasping hands and giggling like a young couple in love.

"Good evening, Charlie." Edward said, polite as always.

"Edward..." Charlie said through his gritted teeth. "So...Are you hungry?" He was trying his hardest to be polite with my fiancé, and I could tell from the pained expression, it was definitely arduous for my dad today. Still, I hoped that Edward would decline. I had already made him eat dirt once before, and I didn't want to force him again.

"I am, actually." Edward said politely, taking a seat in the chair. It took every muscle in my face to keep from frowning at him.

Grabbing plates from the cupboard was my excuse. I leaned in close to Edward's ear and whispered. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Don't worry about me." His response was calm despite his cruel fate. "Worry about yourself. Charlie was the one cooking." The last statement was a choked whisper; I rolled my eyes at his pettiness. "I told you. I would go to the ends of the world for you."

Charlie sharply interrupted the conversation, swinging a plate of half-burnt chicken in our faces. "Leg or breast, Edward?"

Both Edward and Charlie were chewing their food slowly. The first looked to be squandering time; the second looked more like a cow chewing on his meal.

"So." Charlie cleared his throat, setting the picked-clean bone down on the plate. "How are the wedding plans coming?"

"It's more of Alice's thing." I admitted and took a nervous sip of milk.

Charlie grumbled, but luckily, he wouldn't press the subject any farther. "You haven't, er, changed your mind, have you Edward?"

"Dad!"

Edward smiled valiantly. "No, sir."

There was a hint of sadness in Charlie's nod. I was staring daggers at him, which he promptly realized. "I was just checking, Bella. You can relax."

I shook my head angrily, taking my anger out on a pile of mashed potatoes.

Charlie cleaned up his plate eagerly. Both Edward and I had been avoiding eating, both out of anxiety and unease, forcing Charlie to sit awkwardly at the table. After a few painful seconds, he cleared his throat.

"Bells, do you think you can... handle the dishes?" He was itching to leave the room as much as we wanted him to. I nodded solemnly, and Charlie all but jumped onto his feet.

"Thank you for having me over, Charlie. It was...flavorful." Edward chose his words carefully, and Charlie turned purple with embarrassment.

"I'll be in the living room if you need me." Charlie rushed out of the room briskly, despite how rude he was to Edward.

From the look in his eyes, Edward didn't mind. In fact, he'd already grabbed a few plates and headed towards the sink. "You wash, I'll dry?"

It was oddly humanizing, watching Edward dry dishes. I had unusually enjoyed every second he stood over my sink, wiping plates and glasses. It made him feel less like a figment of my imagination, and more like a person.

When we had finished, he had an impish grin. "Do you want to go upstairs? There might be something up there for you." He said mysteriously.

His ambiguity shocked me. "I...thought the dinner was... my surprise for the day." I said as he guided me up the stairs. He shook his head, but never once looked back at me. "Edward, please don't tell me there's more."

"As you wish. I won't _say _there's more." He took a vow of silence, opening my bedroom door in complete stillness. "But...do you notice anything different?"

Unenthusiastically, I examined every detail. The floorboards remained where they were. The window, the bed sheets, the closet, the dresser, the computer... everything stood in its original position.

I felt Edward's icy breath on my neck. "You're not very observant, are you?" His long pointer finger directed my attention to the computer. We collectively took a step towards it.

A strange round circle now rested on top. I had never seen it before. "What is it?" I asked curiously, running my hands along the cool silver sphere. Edward's chuckle was melodious.

"It's a web cam." He admitted, running his cool hands in his disheveled mess of hair. "You do know what those are, yes?" I nodded, still dazed. "You've been worrying about Renee in your sleep. So after you told her we were moving to Alaska, I went out and purchased two of them." My mouth gaped open wider with each harmonious syllable he uttered. "That way you don't have to rely so heavily on emails and phone calls. Once you're ready, of course."

Once the shock wore off, I grew concerned. Renee was quite attentive to details; certainly she would figure out my eyes changing color, or how pale I had become.

"Don't worry—they're actually quite old for what they are." He assured me, making me wonder if he merely pretends he can't read my mind. "They only shoot in black and white. And if I were to make a guess, they would probably break after two or three years. About the time you should've started to age."

I twisted myself around so our chests pressed up against each other, and my cheek was pressed against his collarbone. "You didn't have to do this." I'd been dazzled by his diligence. He stroked my hair as we embraced.

"I wanted to." His answer was brief but beautiful.

"I'm glad you did, though." I added, not budging from my spot. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He kissed the top of my head, and tightened his grip on my arms. "Soon you will be my family, my life, and my everything. I understand that you will still need Charlie and Renee to be a part of your existence." His voice plummeted to a whisper. "I'm sorry that this is merely the best I can do."

I disagreed. "It's perfect."

**AN: Hopefully this bad writing hasn't scared you off. They get cuter. I promise.**

**Please review.**

**ALSO: I'm new to this site, and I can't figure out how to do breaks. Like between paragraphs. Dividers is a good word for it. If you know how to do it properly, let me know in a review. thank you immensely.**


	8. Chapter 8 G is for Girls Night

**First of all THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS!! Every single one of them means so much to me. :-) And I feel I owe you all an explanation. Without sounding too overconfident, I don't think that **_**all **_**my writing is bad. There are some chapters that I'm very proud of, and some chapters that I feel lack a higher quality that I'm so critical of. If it seems like I'm putting myself down, I'm sorry. I'm just very critical of myself, and can seem pessimistic at times.**

**Hopefully that clarifies a few things. :-)**

**And I still own NOTHING.**

**Chapter Eight – G is for Girls Night**

It had been two seconds after my truck door had been slammed shut when Alice rushed out of the house with that wild look in her face. That mischievous, eccentric, I've-got-an-idea look.

No good could possibly come from that look.

"Come on, Bella... we're wasting time!"

It was either her frantic speech or the dragging across the yard that caught me off guard. "What are you talking about?" I stopped in the middle of the yard, demanding something. An explanation. Clarification. Anything.

It took her a few contemplative seconds before she responded. "I'm stealing you today." She took a step towards the house, and smiled. "Technically, we're stealing you."

"Who is 'we'?" I asked, but Alice increased her speed and rushed off without me. "Who is 'we'? Alice?!" I called out again, more panicked this time.

We walked towards the house to find Esme and Rosalie standing casually in the door, holding their purses. When I was in eyeshot, they looked eager. Excited for something.

I knew I had been set up.

Before I could even gather a thought, Alice was dragging me towards her Yellow Porsche. To say she threw me into the front seat would be only slightly inaccurate—Alice has much more brute force than what she used to get me in that car.

Esme and Rosalie climbed into the backseat without a word. The car roared loudly when Alice turned the key.

"So is somebody going to tell me what's going on?" I asked briskly. Nothing bothered me more than being in the dark. The speedometer quickly grew over a hundred. Alice loved her fast cars.

"We're going shopping." Rosalie stated, matter-of-factly.

"Where's Edward?" My head was still spinning—two seconds ago I was at the Cullen's house, now I was in a yellow Porsche with my future sisters. I needed a human moment to gather my thoughts.

"I kicked him out." She spoke so proudly of her work. "We have girl stuff we need to do, and we can't do that with him moping around."

"Girl stuff?"

Her smile was smug. "Wedding stuff."

"I told you, this is your kind of fun, not mine!" I pouted.

She was completely ignoring my pleas. "I have a few dresses in mind, but I just wanted to get your opinion on them. You're the deciding vote."

I was stunned. "_You _need _my_ opinion on something fashion-related."

"You're picking between two excellent choices—even _you _can handle that." She turned to me and grinned once more. As if that would take the sting—or the truth—out of it.

The next twenty minutes were silent, except for the roar of the engine and Alice's excessively loud radio. After several miles of darting glances from Alice, she spoke up with her beautifully smooth voice. "This isn't just for Edward, you know." That seemed to be coming from left field; she must have seen me complaining about missing him when we reached our destination. "You're going to be our sister, and you're going to have to get used to us." The way she was smiling made it very difficult to be angry.

"We're here." Rosalie pointed out the window, and Alice swerved the car quickly. I barely had any time to gather my thoughts before the car had stopped and Alice was dragging me inside the store.

* * *

I was feeling self-conscious the entire time Alice and Rosalie were trying on their dresses. Their beauty was astonishing as always, and every dress they displayed seemed to accentuate it perfectly. They would, without a doubt, make me feel unsightly standing at the altar.

Esme and I sat just outside of the dressing rooms, waiting for Alice and Rosalie to come out. They all had agreed on a dark maroon color, but would all wear different styles of dresses. Esme had already shown me her dress, a stunning long dress that was both elegant and sexy. Exactly what the mother of the groom would wear if it was a family of vampires.

Rosalie stepped out first, a wine-colored fabric draped beautifully on her body. She strutted out with the confidence of a runway model, and she definitely had the looks to match it. Esme smiled, showing off her beautiful smile. Alice walked out next, wearing a dress of the same hue, only a little shorter, completely strapless, and a little bubble skirt. I had picked up some of the lingo from all the Vogues they had lying around the house.

Alice spoke up with her sweet little voice. "Which one do you like better?"

I shrugged. "I think whichever one you want is perfect."

My apathy seemed to infuriate Alice.

"_Bella..._" The way she said my voice made her sound like a five year old. "You're completely missing the point here! If you just _tried_, you might actually like what we're doing here."

"Next you'll be telling me I like green eggs and ham." I grumbled, which deepened the creases in Alice's forehead. I merely sighed, and caved in completely. "Rosalie, I really liked the first one you tried on, the halter dress. Very bold and stunning. Alice... that one fits you perfectly. Accentuates your figure. Both of you would look beautiful in anything." I took in a deep and violent breath. "There. Happy?"

Both girls beamed at me, and headed towards their respective rooms. They moved quickly, changing from one perfect fashion to another. Both walked straight passed me, and I struggled to keep up.

"So we've got your bridesmaids dresses." I said once Alice and Rosalie had their selections thrown over their arms. "That means we're done, right? And we're going back to Forks now?" My tone was full of hopelessness.

Rosalie grinned. "Not quite."

I frowned.

"We drove all this way, and it would be a shame to waste the gas for a fifteen minute shopping trip." Fifteen minutes, I laughed to myself. It had felt like hours. And I could feel it—the day would feel much longer. And more painful.

* * *

When we had gotten back from a miserable shopping trip in the late afternoon, Alice promised that we could just hang out at her house. The rest of the night was much more comfortable for me. Esme once again ordered Italian food for me, and we spent hours talking. Rosalie spoke passionately about her trips to Europe, and places Edward and I would have to see once I had been changed. Esme told of her favorite places she and Carlisle had stayed over the years. Alice highlighted the finer points of Paris Fashion Week, and vowed to make me stylish if it killed her. They all watched with their golden eyes, wide with curiosity, when I spoke about my childhood.

By the end, I felt like I had learned everything there was to know about my future family.

Around 3 in the morning, I finally had gotten so tired it became obvious. "You should probably go to sleep." Esme said sweetly.

"Edward would be very upset if we kept you up _all_ night." Alice stated, her eyes were filled with wide-eyed genuineness.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable being the only sleeping." I yawned, and noticed that, not only were they putting their shoes on, but also they looked impatient for something. "Are you guys going somewhere?"

Esme's eyes shifted around uncomfortably, as if the answer was common knowledge. "We're going hunting."

"You're... leaving me?" I gasped, but that elicited a strange little smile from all three of the girls. Alice motioned for me to look towards the doorway. I could barely see in the dark, but I could pick out that glimmering smile from miles away.

"Edward." I whispered lethargically. His smile grew exponentially with each step he took towards me. The girls—my new sisters—rushed out of the room, and we were abruptly alone. "I should be very angry with you. Shopping with Alice." Sleepiness had turned my words into slurs.

"You'll thank me someday." He promised, sliding into the sleeping bag along with me. "Alice is saying you had more fun than you're letting off." His hands were slightly warmer than usual as they danced around my hips. "I'm sorry I had them ambush you."

"It's okay." I shrugged. "Alice is right. Just don't tell her that."

He chuckled. "Your secret is safe with me." I fought to keep my eyelids open, but I no longer possessed the energy. "Sleep. It's very late."

"I'm not tired anymore." I lied through a yawn.

"Please." He coaxed, humming my lullaby.

Rather than fight it, I drifted compliantly from one beautiful dream to another.

**Review, por favor! (please)**

**And i've added the links to my profile for the dresses Rosalie, Esme, Angela, and Alice will be wearing to the wedding. :-) Check them out!**


	9. Chapter 9 H is for Home

**Chapter Nine – H is for Home**

Charlie was working until later in the night, and I had just finished eating lunch. I was still a little lethargic from my late night, and crashed onto the couch immediately after the last dish had been scrubbed. Edward collapsed with me, and shifted around submissively until I was comfortable.

After an hour, I had become accustomed to sitting in Edward's embrace. There was a sense of urgency in each of his motions. He had something planned. Still, I was feeling lazy and comfortable.

"Let's just stay here." I whined. "It's really sunny out anyway." My logic was bulletproof. Wordlessly, he nodded in accord.

"Would you like to hear what I had planned for tonight anyway?" His eyebrow was raised in a curious way. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head. "Helicopter rides." I yawned strategically, and stretched my arms out. "Haiku writing, perhaps." I shook my head, and nestled into his chest. "A hippopotamus may have been involved."

"You're crazy." I said, caught off-guard by an actual yawn. "A hippo would never fit in here."

His warm laughter filled the room, and we snuggled even closer.

"I really like the view here." I said, my chin resting on his chest. The pale curves of his face were smooth, like he was a perfectly molded clay pot. I reached out and caressed the curvatures. He smiled, and stroked my hair.

"It's not too bad where I'm sitting either, you know." His smile made my hands shake. "Do you want to watch some TV?" He asked, fingering the remote. Truth be told, I didn't care to. But he had it in his head—"normal" humans lay on the couch and watched movies.

I couldn't tell what channel he had selected, or what movie was playing. I was so enveloped in his beauty—everything else in the universe was just white noise. He was mindlessly rubbing the side of my arm, staring needlessly at the TV.

My eyelids fluttered slightly the longer we laid there.

"Are you comfortable?" He murmured, clicking the TV off. I had no idea how long we had been laying there. It didn't really matter anyway.

My words were barely above a whisper as I gazed at him. "Very comfortable, actually."


	10. Chapter 10 I is for Ice Skates

**Once again, thanks for all your reviews. If I could, I would clone an Edward for each and every one of you.**

**The Twilight series is the property of Stephenie Meyer. And I am definitely not her.**

**Chapter Ten – I is for Ice Skates**

(AN: The song is "(Falling in love) at a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg. And it will come up again.)

"This isn't a good idea." I stated, matter-of-factly. We stood together motionless in the parking lot of an indoor ice skating rink, just outside of Port Angeles. He had made no attempts in keeping today's events a secret. Yet he ignored my rational explanations.

I was not graceful. Sticking me on a slippery surface with sharp blades would prove disastrous.

"You don't have to worry." He insisted, leading me by the hand towards the door. "I will not let you go once."

"Why can't we do something a little..." I paused, contemplating the best word choice. "Safer?"

He laughed, presumably at my reluctance. "Would you prefer riding your motorcycle? Perhaps we could do a little cliff diving."

I frowned as he continued laughing joyfully. He held the door open for me as we walked in. It was completely empty. Perhaps ice skating wasn't exactly the most popular activity during the summer. I was relieved—there wouldn't be an audience in my awkward show.

He had left me sitting on a bench while he obtained rental skates. When he came back, he slipped on the skate carefully, like I was Cinderella trying on the glass slipper. "Perfect fit." Happily, he grinned. As much I hated the idea of robbing that happiness from him, I was terrified.

"Are you ready?" He asked, leading me towards the opening gate. Despite my vigorous shaking my head, he escorted me out onto the ice.

A soft acoustic guitar strummed over the loudspeaker, and I took each clumsy step out on the ice. I was learning how to walk all over again. "Edward, I can't do this." I shook my head, knees trembling. He tightened his grip on my hands, sliding oh-so confidently on the ice.

"You can." He assured me repeatedly. His confidence gave me a little oxygen, helping me breathe through this. Each sliding step became easier. My awkwardness slowly faded, and while I was not nearly as comfortable as he seemed to be, things were easier. Irregardless, he kept his tight grip on me. There was a tranquil smile on his face, and his hair flew around his head messily as we glided. "See. I told you." He looked especially gorgeous today.

"I like this song." I muttered, still a little shaken, and desperate for a distraction. "Who is it?"

He shrugged. "I can find out, if you like."

The only sounds in the rink were the radio and our skates slicing the ice. Even though I was wearing a jacket, I was still quite cold. My lips began trembling, and Edward noticed instantaneously. "Do you want to stop?"

Surprisingly, I shook my head. I liked having him so close. And the skating was coming easily to me. My tremulous lips, however, betrayed me, and he guided me towards the gate. He sat me down, and wrapped his jacket around my shoulders.

"I'll be right back." He promised, slipping off his skates easily. I chattered, but wanted him back instantly. My dazzling ice statue.

As promised, he was back promptly, holding a Styrofoam cup. Steam rose steadily from it as he handed it to me. "Here. Drink this." Unquestioningly, I sipped my warm drink slowly. The hot chocolate tickled my throat as I swallowed it. "Is that better?" He murmured softly. I nodded. "You managed to survive the ice. I'm very proud of you."

"It's still early." I admitted; my chattering was subsiding. "I haven't taken the skates off yet."

"Not even you could do damage on solid ground." He said, rubbing his hands along shoulder, hoping friction would do its job. "But I'm very serious, Bella. I'm proud of you."

"I had a pretty good trainer." I smiled meekly, and then cupped his chin with my hand. The desire to kiss him was ripping through me.

"Not yet." He muttered. He sounded overly cautious. "You'll die of hypothermia."

"I'm willing to take that risk." I called back, approaching him anyway.

He made no effort to stop me once our lips were compressed.

**REVIEW!! PLEASE?!**


	11. Chapter 11 J is for John Cusack

**A few things: First, i'm sorry it took so long to get this up. Computer problems and social lives have interfered, for that i'm very sorry. And I've been editing and revising until my eyes hurt. This was actually the hardest chapter to write. This isn't really a human experience per say, but I found it adorable, and it's my story, so essentially I can do whatever I want. :-)**

**And I don't own anything.**

**Chapter Eleven – J is for John Cusack**

(The songs are "The Promise" by When in Rome and "Keep Looking Up" by Landon Pigg)

It was eleven at night, and I was feeling a mixture of emotions, mainly anger. Edward and I had gotten into a fight while we were washing dishes, even though the reason was completely absurd. He was overreacting, per usual. When he left me-- earlier than normal--he gave me the choice--open or close my window if I wanted him to come back that night. The window was wide open, yet he was nowhere to be found.

The distant sound of music—a piano, more specifically—stirred me from my dreadful recollection.

It was too late in the night for Charlie to be watching television. Besides, the source of the sound seemed to be coming from outside. I rose lethargically to my feet, and headed towards my window. The sound intensified.

I peeked through the curtains to see him standing there, with a boom box hoisted over his head. He looked like a scene from a movie. For a few minutes, I just stood there in awe, watched and listened. The song was a very flashy eighties power ballad. But the lyrics fit the situation perfectly: apologizing profusely and promising to always be there. If he wasn't being so riotous about this, I would've been very touched.

"Edward?" I finally hissed loud enough over the synthesizer music. He said nothing—he only stood there smirking. "You're going to wake up Charlie!"

"Then you should come down here!" He taunted.

Creaking floorboards ignored completely, I ran down the stairs and out the door faster than I had ever done. The last thing Edward needed was to wake up the entire neighborhood, or land himself in jail.

I shut the door gently behind me, now walking. "You're going to get arrested."

He grinned and nestled the CD player into the lawn. The song continued as I walked towards him. "None of your neighbors would do that. All the women are swooning, and the men couldn't care less." He pulled me in tight enough to think we were dancing. The song's volume decreased slightly, to a normal volume. "I was thinking about this evening and I was wrong to start an argument over something so minute. Please say you'll forgive me."

To be honest, he was forgiven the first moment I saw him. As the song reached a melodic climax, a flicker of a smile lit up his face. There was a certain hunger in his demeanor as he kissed me. This really did feel like a movie now.

"You've been watching too many cheesy movies." I ran my hands along his cheeks when he broke free, and he ran his along my shoulders. It felt like hours passed while I drowned in his topaz eyes.

Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, and while fumbling with some of the dials, the song changed.

"Dance with me." It was neither a request nor a demand—simply a statement. He continued with the whispering, running his lips along the side of my cheek. "I promise it won't be painful."

"Maybe not for you." I scoffed, under my breath. From the expression on his face, he heard it.

"Don't you trust me?" His grin made it difficult to say no. I draped my arms around his neck, and he grinned victoriously.

We swayed together on my front lawn, my bare feet tripping clumsily on the wet grass. Edward smiled contentedly as he clung to me. I had never heard this song before, but I could swing easily to the whiney electric guitar.

"You're getting better." He whispered then began to sing along softly. His voice was smooth in the darkness.

"I knew it was a bad idea watching Say Anything." I shook my head, regretting leaving that channel one night. Edward was practically taking notes through the entire thing—I should've realized this was coming someday.

"And when you reach up and clear away the stars..." His voice was so melodic and low I could barely hear him. But it made my knees tremble in pure rapture nonetheless. "I will be there where you are."

I loved it when he sang to me. Even if we were dancing on my front lawn in the middle of the night.

**Love it, hate it? Review, please. :-)**


	12. Chapter 12 K is for Kisses

**If I could give you all chocolate in exchange for your support, I would. Unfortunately this is the best I can do. Please enjoy.**

**And I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twelve – K is for Kisses**

I was disappointed when I woke up the next morning in my bed, alone. Every morning I had woken up in his arms or in a close proximity with him. When I realized that the only person in my bedroom was me, I had never been filled with more displeasure.

I'd been contemplating ways to punish him for nearly fifteen minutes when I swung my sore body out of my bed. I was walking towards the door when something caught my eye. Something small and silver, attached to a small note. I picked it up, reading it cautiously.

_One for not complaining._

The small silver thing attached was a Hershey's kiss. Despite the early morning hour, I unwrapped it haphazardly, and placed it in my mouth. The chocolate was creamy, and I savored the silky feeling.

I stepped out into the hallway, noticing another one of the notes with two more Hershey's kisses attached. I read the handwriting--Edward's--carefully.

_Two for being beautiful, even in the morning._

I smiled to myself as I clutched the two kisses and the notes. With each step, I noticed more notes and more kisses. This had to be a setup. I read each note, holding each kiss in my now trembling hand.

_One for your beautiful smile._

_One for your unbridled enthusiasm._

_One for your grace. (It's there—trust me)_

As I reached the stairway, there were too many kisses in my hands to hold. And the stairway had literally been covered with the silver chocolates. In the stillness of my empty house, I laughed. Edward had done this. All the notes made sense now. I cleared a pathway to walk down. When I reached the last step, I saw him standing there.

It was Edward, wearing a silver turtleneck under a beige jacket. There was a feral smile on his face; his eyes sparkled like diamonds.

I placed one kiss in his palm and smiled. "That was surprisingly... sweet." I joked, and he laughed courteously.

"I know something even sweeter." He pulled me closer, and let his instincts kick in. Our lips pressed tenderly together; his fingers ran through my hair fervently. I slipped off his cream colored jacket, pushing him down on the chair. Both of our motions were so fluid, neither one of us worried about making a mistake.

"You're very cheesy." I said when he finally disengaged the kiss. "All those kisses? And the notes?"

He was unapologetic.

"If you noticed..." He began, running his hand along my cheek. "...There were as many kisses for each day I have been completely and utterly in love with you."

I smiled. "Yep. I was right." He leaned in closer, making the beginning of another kiss. "You are very cheesy."

"Well, I'm actually buttering you up, so to speak." He broke away. "Because I won't be here tomorrow."

I frowned instantaneously. "You're..."

"Emmett and Carlisle are planning on going hunting. They've asked me to go along with them." He spoke eloquently, and stood up. I sat on the chair, somewhat dazed. "I'm sorry. I know I said..."

"Don't worry about it." I whispered, trying to calm him. "It's something you have to do."

"Please forgive me." He murmured, pleading with his hard eyes.

"We still have today, don't we?" I asked, and he nodded promptly. "Well, I have a great idea of what we can do." He eyed me suspiciously, completely unsure of the answer. I grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him right in my proximity. "I'll give you one guess."

And I thrust my ravenous lips onto his, unashamedly. The words on his last few notes stuck out in my head as I kissed him.

_One for today._

_One for tomorrow._

_One for every day until the end of time._

**_Why yes, I would love some reviews, please. :-)_**


	13. Chapter 13 L is for Long Distance

**This is a little shorter, but Edward is gone, so there's not much to do. sorry.**

**And I still own nothing.**

**Chapter Thirteen – L is for Long Distance**

My day had passed slowly; it was like high school all over again. Sitting and staring at the clock, waiting for some word was frazzling my nerves. I tried distracting myself with television, cooking, re-reading _Wuthering Heights_, and laundry. None of them proved to be acceptable.

I had finished brushing my teeth, preparing myself for bed when the phone rang. I nearly tripped running down the stairs to grab it. But the hazard was well worth it. I knew who it was.

"Bella?" He yelled, as if I were on the other side of the room. The reception must've been terrible. "Bella, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here!" I shouted, matching his pitch perfectly. I truly loved the sound of his voice, even with the crackling static that accompanied it today. "I miss you so much."

"What??" He shouted, raising his volume louder than before. His voice was still like velvet, just a more brazen shade of velvet. The crackling static had lessened; I could hear his voice clearly.

"I said I miss you!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I heard you the first time." My smile dropped immediately. I had been had. "I just wanted to hear you say it again."

"You're not funny." I pouted, climbing up the stairs back to my room.

"I'm sorry." He apologized profusely. "I miss you too. Immensely. I think I'm driving Emmett up the wall."

"It's true." I could faintly hear Emmett's bellowing in the background. "Please tell him you're okay so he'll shut up."

"I want you here." I sulked, crashing down onto the bed. "It feels empty here. I don't like falling asleep without you here."

"Don't worry, love. Close your eyes." He commanded, and I followed obediently. "Fall asleep and I'll meet you in your dreams." My heart began throbbing in its place. His voice dropped down to a soft lullaby. "Someplace warm, where I can kiss you for hours, and be with you. Without any worries."

"Sounds nice." I whispered, drifting to sleep.

"I promise I'll be back by tomorrow morning. I'll spend the day making it up to you." He moaned, "I love you."

I tried mumbling how much I loved him back, but the words came out like applesauce. I heard him hang up the phone, but his words hung onto me. They kept me warm, and made me feel safe.

That night, I fell asleep with a smile on my face, even though he wasn't in my arms or my bed.

**Final note: I'm actually completely re-writing the next chapter, because the original M I wrote did not satisfy me. So if I get time tonight to work on it, I will have it up by tomorrow. But I'm making no promises. However, reviews DO make me write faster, so... ;-)**


	14. Chapter 14 M is for Meadow

**Alright, sorry it took me so long to update! I know I promised, but I was feeling under the weather, so please hold back all tomatoes.**

**I tried rewriting this chapter, but I'm fairly certain that the letter M, for me, is cursed. So I'm just going to go with the first chapter I've written. Please be nice if it's bad. **

**And I own nothing.**

**Chapter Fourteen – M is for Meadow**

My feet were technically on the flat ground, but it had yet to dawn on me that I was back to earth. My head was spinning from the running, and the sweetness of his breath against my neck did nothing to help that fact.

He had promised to make it up to me for being gone all day yesterday. When the weatherman forecasted clear skies, there was only one place I longed to go to. And as always, he looked willing.

When we reached the clearing, sunlight filtered through slowly illuminating our special place. In the center a small picnic basket sat on a blanket. I eyed him—once again, he was putting himself through torture, for my sake.

He watched me gawk at the basket, and grinned. "I promise it's only for you." His sneaking hands found their way to my side. "Every time I eat, you seem to be in more pain than I am."

I grinned as my tired legs finally collapsed onto the fleece sheet. "You planned this." There was more shock in my voice than I had anticipated.

"I had a bit of help." He smirked, and my mind immediately went to Alice. "Didn't you find it a bit odd it took me longer than usual to come to your house?"

His question was rhetorical, so I found no necessity in answering it. Instead, I fought to make myself comfortable—an easy fight to win. The back of my head found a cozy nook under his chin. We were a tangled knot of limbs, sprawled on a red-checkered blanket. He handed me a sandwich, and I unwrapped it from its cellophane prison.

"Thank goodness it isn't raining." He sighed—small talk was never his forte. "So how are you feeling today?"

"I'm okay." That was a lie—I was better than okay.

"I'm terribly sorry that..."

"Would you stop apologizing?" I exclaimed—my hands had been thrown into the air in exasperation. He frowned. "Yes, I missed you yesterday. But you're here now, and that's all that matters."

He kissed the top of my head, and I resumed chewing slowly. His hand casually brushed my thigh. I had to bite down hard on the sandwich to keep from crying out in ecstasy.

"I'm still eating, you know." I spoke with a full mouth—Renee would be disappointed.

His hands flew up in the air, removing them from my vicinity. Then he smiled angelically, waiting while I ate. I swallowed the sandwich as fast as humanly possible, and crept even closer towards his lips.

His tone was incredulous. "That was fast."

I grinned back at him. "I had a good reason to be fast."

Gripping the back of his head, I pressed our lips together. Today they were acquiescent as he cupped my face with both hands. He only broke away reluctantly when my heart nearly burst.

"Would you be terribly upset if I tell you I have a present for you?" I subtly rolled my eyes and he noticed. "I'll take that as a yes. But I spent no money on it, so..." He grinned, having found his loophole. Presents were all right, as long as they didn't require much money or were hand-me-downs. It still angered me that he had such a ridiculous excuse.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a long and narrow blue box. I opened it nervously, and found a delicate silver necklace. I removed it from the box, and examined it more carefully. A frail silver heart sparkled in the sunlight, with a small topaz stone in the center of it. On the back, the letters BE were engraved in careful letters.

I sat in awe. It couldn't be... And the longer I thought, the more I realized it was.

"How did you..." I stammered, and one cool finger on my lips silenced me.

"I remembered you telling me about it at lunch one day. How for your tenth birthday, Charlie had bought you a beautiful silver locket. He said the back initials were so that you would always remember to be yourself. Although I suppose now the initials could stand for Bella and Edward." His teeth shone with his content smile. "I also remembered that you lost it a few years ago when you were between Forks and Phoenix. How you cried for days because it was the most thoughtful gift you had ever gotten."

My eyes were now filled to the brim with saltwater tears.

"That still..." I sniffled, my voice cracking. "Doesn't explain _how_..."

"A good fiancé never reveals his tricks." He smiled a most devious smile. With the necklace now in his sinewy fingers, he murmured, "Shall I put it on?"

I nodded. His fingers brushed like a cold breeze along the back of my neck as he pushed my hair out of the way. He worked quickly to get the clasp done. When his fingers were no long along my neck, I tugged on it gently to make sure it was fastened. And it was. Edward grinned crookedly, and a huge lump caught in my throat.

"This is only going to get worse, isn't it?" I asked, suddenly pinching the bridge of my nose.

"What's that?"

"You! Giving me presents. It's only getting worse now that we're getting married, right?"

He nodded silently. I groaned.

"Can't we go...just one day without you being absolutely flawless?" My eyes scurried around the surroundings. The sun was started to drift behind the clouds, and the yellow glow was fading fast. "Will you at least try?"

"To be less perfect, as you claim me to be?" He scoffed bitterly. "I'll try my hardest."

I knew how sarcastic he was being. But since I was in his arms, I really couldn't care what came out of his perfectly-shaped mouth.

**Review please. :-)**


	15. Chapter 15 N is for Nap

**A short little chapter. And I own nothing.**

**Chapter Fifteen – N is for Nap**

It was 3:00 in the afternoon, and even though Edward was sitting on my bed with me, I was barely at ease.

I sat down cross-legged on the bed, trying to get as comfortable as possible. "Alice told me _we_ were responsible for the music." I groaned with an edge of annoyance, holding nearly thirty sheets of songs in front of me. Edward eyed me curiously—I must have been very amusing for him to watch. "So guess what we're doing today." I held the sheets out in front of me.

He quickly tossed them away, scattering throughout the room, and kissed me unrepentantly.

As much as I enjoyed the feeling, for once I broke away from him. "I wasn't kidding." His cheek pressed against the base of my throat, his hands rested on my arms. "There's no way to get out of it." His hands had slid down to my legs, and his chest pushed up against mine as I tumbled onto my back. At this point, I was giggling ferociously. Uncontrollably. "I've put this off as long as we can."

"No nineties rap." Edward sighed, easing up on me. The sheets were now collected, and back in my hands. "No fad dances—Macarena, Electric Slide, YMCA..."

I crossed songs as he listed them.

* * *

An hour later, we were onto page four. We both lay on my bed, making a mess of my sheets. I was strangely comfortable now, despite discussing music tastes with a genius. Suddenly, I just felt tired.

My yawning must have caught him off guard. "You should sleep if you're tired."

"It's nothing." I shrugged, and was betrayed by another yawn. He raised an eyebrow at me, insisting how accurate he was. "You'll be bored."

"I've watched you sleep before, and it is never boring."

I whimpered. The idea of wasting time, when I had him all to myself, made me very upset.

"Would you feel better if I _slept_ too?" My eyes narrowed, producing an effervescent chuckle. "I am capable of acting, if it would make you happy."

That idea pleased me. "Will you pretend for me?" I whispered. "Just for a little while?"

He chuckled, and moved quickly. Our bodies fit together like pieces in a puzzle. The small of my back fit perfectly along his stomach, and his hand rested comfortably on the top of my arm. I glanced over my shoulder out the corner of my eye. His eyes were clamped shut—he really was a good actor.

His voice sounded almost sleepy as he whispered to me. "Sweet dreams."

**Reviews make my day sparkle like Edward in the sunlight.**


	16. Chapter 16 O is for Oranges

**Um...this chapter's a little different, I guess. This chapter came at the end of my creative rope, so...hopefully you like it!**

**Chapter Sixteen – O is for Oranges**

In the past fifteen days, I had inadvertently become spoiled. Edward's surprises kept me enveloped in happiness. Even though I hated—and continue to hate—being in the dark, the quality time with him was a pleasant consolation prize.

Needless to say, I was disappointed when our drive ended at the hardware store. More disappointment came when Emmett, Rosalie and Esme appeared from one of the corners of my eyes.

"Edward, what's going on?" I pulled on his arm, but we met up with them despite my slowing.

"Interior decorators are _so_ passé." Rosalie cried out, rolling her eyes. Emmett held her hand carefully.

"Esme insisted that since we will be in Alaska for some time, we should be more...involved...in the decoration." He enlightened me with a slightly raised voice. "I'm sorry. They cornered me before I could come up with a valid excuse." The second part was a soft whisper, exclusively for my ears and my ears alone.

"It's fine." I was lying. Edward wanted to believe me, but he was too intuitive for his own good.

Emmett and Rosalie had already entered the store, and Esme was holding the door open for us. Edward and I remained on the sidewalk, in the light misting rain. "If you want, we can ditch them right now. There must be something you would rather do."

"I heard that!" Esme barked, angrier with Edward than at me.

"It's fine, we'll do this!" I exclaimed a little louder, leaving Edward's embrace and walked towards Esme. She smiled victoriously towards me, but I heard a small growl escape as Edward walked behind me.

* * *

"What do you think about this color?" Esme was enjoying this, perhaps a little too much. We had been pouring over paint swatches for nearly twenty minutes. Even though I loved my new family dearly, they were really quite indecisive when it came to minute details like paint colors.

"Too conspicuous." Rosalie shook her head with a grimace like she had just sucked on a lemon.

"I like the..." Esme defended herself, and then turned the card over. "Chardonnay."

"I don't see what was wrong with the colors I picked out." Emmett cowered, kicking his feet around, sounding like a wounded puppy.

"You wanted bright orange." Rosalie said, sounding like either an annoyed wife or irritated sister.

"It's something different!"

"That's definitely one word for it."

They scowled at each other in painfully awkward silence. For me, especially.

"Has anyone bothered to ask what Bella would like?" Edward spoke up for me, despite how much I didn't want the spotlight on me. My arms folded across my chest should've been a clear indicator that I was outside of my comfort zone.

"No, it's really not that important...it's your money."

"Nonsense!" Esme wrapped her arms around my shoulder, pushing Edward away from me. "You are a part of this family now, we make decisions together, and we come up with fair compromises."

I now had eight smoldering topaz eyes locked on me, refusing to let me back down or cower away from this.

"I kind of agree with Rosalie." I whispered finally. "If we're trying to dispel rumors of... I don't think a gothic red would help anything."

Rosalie smiled triumphantly.

"Okay. No chardonney." Esme was trying her hardest to hide the disappointment, but when she pursed her lips, it was clear she wasn't winning that battle. Emmett's ears perked up, but Esme sharply interjected. "We're not doing orange. It's not less conspicuous, and it's a ridiculous idea."

Her callousness brought a wretched frown on his face.

"I assume you two will be sharing a room." Esme assumed, poked her finger in our faces, then immersed herself back into the millions of color choices. Edward and I exchanged giddy glances. Sharing a room. We were instantly blushing teenagers, not engaged adults. "Why don't you two pick something while Rosalie, Emmett and I _negotiate?_" All her emphasis went on the last word. The three of them stepped farther away from us.

"Whatever you want." He whispered with that silken voice I loved.

I pivoted around, my back now to the paint swatches. His eyes were a fluid gold, and they were piercing the very core of me. He was too captivating for his own good.

"What do you think about chocolate brown?"

"I think it matches your eyes." His voice was causing sparks to shoot down my spine. "I think I will miss that alluring hue." Our hands interlocked as he leaned in to kiss me. "And I want whatever makes you happy."

I grinned like a fool as he crushed his lips against mine.

"Lavender is _calming_. You, of all people, need that." Rosalie was clamoring, successful in her fight over the room she and Emmett would share. The two of them pushed through the door together. Esme walked out in front of me, and Edward held the door wide open as I stepped through.

"It's purple." Emmett sighed, drained.

"Are you two heading back to Charlie's, or should we expect you?" Esme asked indifferently as we circled up on the sidewalk. Edward and I exchanged glances.

"I've got to get some gas first." Edward said, not breaking our gaze. "Then we'll see you back at the house." I grinned happily, and walked towards the Volvo. Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett all headed towards Carlisle's car. He opened the car door for me, and I climbed in. The engine roared boisterously, and Edward drove gracefully out of the parking lot.

Edward was pulling into the gas station when my stomach growled furiously. I had foolishly forgotten to eat breakfast that day. "Are you hungry?" I bit my lip and nodded. He handed me a thick wad of money, despite my protests. "Why don't you pick up something, and we'll go back to my place?"

I pocketed the money and headed towards the door. A bell clanged loudly as I entered, and the bored clerk behind the desk seemed to perk up. I examined around, trying to find something to satiate my hunger that could be eaten in no time. Junk food, high in preservatives, surrounded me. They would all be time consuming, and would not satisfy me. A selection of apples and oranges sat idly, and the idea of fruit tantalized me. I grabbed an orange--my thoughts went to Emmett and his wild idea of painting the house orange. It was yet to be determined if he was joking or not.

I paid the clerk, whose previous excitement had seemed to fade away with my impending exit.

When I walked back to the car, Edward eyed my selection and me suspiciously. "That's all you wanted?"

I nodded, and opened the door for myself. We both climbed in and continued driving back.

My nails punctured the peel effortlessly. As I peeled the soft skin, bursts of juice emerged. The sweet fragrance filled Edward's Volvo. "I love the smell of oranges." I whispered pensively, and shoved one wedge into my mouth. It was juicier than I had anticipated.

He laughed. "While their fragrance is invigorating, it is nothing compared to yours."

"Thanks...I think."

"It's a compliment." He declared. And I felt oddly assured.

It took me the entire car ride over to the Cullens to finish my orange. And Edward claimed for the rest of the day I smelled like flowers and oranges. I hoped it was a compliment.

**Any and all feedback is greatly cherished.**


	17. Chapter 17 P is for Port Angeles

**My name is not Stephnie Meyer, therefore I own nothing.**

**Chapter Seventeen – P is for Port Angeles**

Silver clouds hung heavily in the sky, filled with threats of rain. The streets were nearly empty, in preparation for the downpour. I was in a devastatingly good mood, despite the gloomy weather. If it had been the sunny weather that had originally been forecasted, Edward and I would be barricaded indoors, not strolling down the streets hand in hand. I took in every breath of fresh and humid air that I could.

"So... what are we doing today?" I asked curiously, swinging our joined arms like pendulums.

"This is it." He said matter-of-factly. I looked at him incredulously, ceasing in motion for a brief second. "Not every day has to be some major event, Bella." We had been walking a little longer when he cleared his throat. "Besides, it'll probably be a little while before you and I can be out in the public. Around other humans."

That realization hit me square in the stomach. I leaned in towards him, my knees trembling as we walked. My thoughts rushed far away from me in a million different directions. And even though we were looking at each other, he could tell I wasn't really there.

"You look deep in thought. May I ask what you are pondering?"

I shrugged. "Nothing, really."

"Humor me." He mumbled melodiously, adding with a beautifully crooked grin. "Please?"

I sighed. "Well, I was kind of wondering...when we're in Alaska... who will we be?" I asked, prompting him to look perplexed. "While you were here, you were adopted by the Cullens. When we're in Alaska, what will our... personas, if that's the right word for it... what will they be?"

"It will depend."

"On?"

"Whether you like Alaska or not."

Our eyes locked, and I began swinging our arms even harder. "Wherever you are works for me."

"If you'd like, we could get our own apartment..." He planted one kiss on the top of the hand entangled with his own. "Be a newlywed couple..." Another kiss, lingering longer than the first. "Complete privacy in the first few years."

That idea lingered in my head. Edward and me. Alone as much as we'd like. Then I thought of my new family, and how disappointed they would be to miss out on my newborn years. "I think Jasper and Emmett would be disappointed. How else would they settle their bet?" He scowled, and I swooped in to cheer him up. "How about the next city we move to. Just you and me in an apartment." It appeared to work—a new smile appeared on his face.

The distraction was short lived. "Is that all you were thinking about?"

I sighed. There were, in fact, many things weighing heavily on my mind. None of them seemed appropriate to discuss right now. "Not really, but I don't feel like talking about it right now." The look in his eyes knew what was on my mind. That sadness in his golden eyes crippled me.

Then he stopped abruptly in front of one shop. "Are you hungry?" I looked up at the sign and realized we were standing at the restaurant where we had our first almost date. The place he had taken me after saving me for the second time. The second of many times.

"No." I sighed, continuing to walk with my clumsy feet. A light rain had begun to trickle down, sending the few street occupants seeking refuge in storefronts. But I just kept on walking with Edward at a casual pace, like we still had the day in front of us.

I really loved the way he looked out in the rain.

**This chapter's a little slow, and next chapter Edward will play only a minor role. Let's just say...Jacob-Is-My-Life-7 will be slightly happier...but there will be a wedding and a lot of cuteness coming up. So just hang tight.**

**Oh. Please review. I don't like making threats, but... I won't update until I get fifty total reviews. :)**


	18. Chapter 18 Q is for Quileute

**Wow. Ask and you shall receive. Thank you to everyone who wanted another chapter enough to review! Keep up the good work (?)**

**Now, personally I dislike the character of Jacob. He annoys me thoroughly. However, the wedding is coming up soon, and I don't want to have to ruin it, so I'm getting this out of the way now.**

**And I'm not Stephenie Meyer. I don't own Twilight (sadly)**

**Chapter Eighteen – Q is for Quileute**

By this point, I had stopped coming with new theories of where we were going, or what we would be doing. I had also stopped trying to steal information from Edward, who was being strangely speechless today. For the remainder of the car ride, I just stared out the window as the scenery blurred by me.

When he pulled up just outside the borders of La Push, I was completely perplexed. My eyes flitted from his golden eyes, to the intersection, and back to him.

"I am giving you the option." He murmured, not able to look at me. "If you'd like to, you can get out of the car. Jacob is just down the road, waiting. Impatiently, mind you."

I looked at him incredulously. He simply continued his little ramble.

"I'd love for you to have the closure, but if you think it would be too painful, then I can drive off right now." He was trying his hardest to keep his tone neutral, but it was clearly becoming too painful. "It's up to you."

Slowly, I unhooked my seat belt. Edward nodded understandably.

His whisper was stiff with fear. "Be careful, please."

I nodded, and walked through the door. Every step I took was trying to prepare myself mentally for this. This was for Jacob, so he could get some closure. This was for Edward, so he would be certain that it was _him _and no one else.

When I finally saw him, his face showed me how afraid he was. Afraid to make the wrong move.

"Hey." He sounded apathetic, like it didn't really matter that we were here.

"Hey." I tried to make my voice sound happier, but it was in vain.

His smile was pained. "Wanna walk?"

* * *

The gravel beneath us crunched as we walked. Jacob was wearing cut-off shorts and a t-shirt, mostly to appease me. He knew I hated it and Edward hated it whenever he walked around half naked.

"So..." I swung my arms violently. He looked just as awkward. "How are you doing?"

"Don't." He growled with a dangerous, low voice.

"Don't what?"

"Pretend like everything's normal."

"I wasn't trying to pretend."

His cheeks were blushing in a violent way. His eyes, filling with anger, pierced me. "Do you have any idea how selfish you're being?" Stunned into submission, my own eyes widened from shock. "Did you even think about Charlie? Or me? Do you even care about me?"

He pierced me horribly. "You know I care."

"Then don't go to Alaska." He took my hand and put it in his palm, stroking it carefully. Convincingly. I knew deep down he wasn't talking about going to Alaska. "You can be happy with me. And normal."

"I'm happy with Edward." My voice, once sounding strange, now asserted itself. Confidence flowed throughout me. "And I always will be."

"If you cared, you wouldn't do this."

We scowled at each other, both stuck in our own personal mindset. He wouldn't budge on trying to convince me, and I refused to be convinced.

"I should probably leave." I whispered, my fingers attached to the silver cell phone in my jeans pocket.

Whether it was because I was threatening to leave, or because he saw the hurt in my eyes—he began to calm down. His shoulders relaxed, and the fist he had balled up was loosening. "I don't suppose there is any way I can talk you out of this, is there?" I shake my head. "Bella, I want you to be happy. Your happiness means more to me than anything. I don't think that the bloodsucker..." He caught himself and instantly corrected the error without my complaining. "I mean, Edward, can do that for you."

I brush my hand against his cheek. "You don't have to worry about me, Jacob. Edward makes me happy."

The long pause that followed was brutal and merciless. We had barely made it back to Billy's house before the conversation turned awkward, and now we were turning around and heading back to the border.

"You're going to find someone who makes you feel like Edward makes me feel." I gave him half a smile, needing the conversation to be changed. "I promise."

"Can her name be Bella Swan?"

I shook my head, and took another step.

"So can I ask you a question? This one's a little nicer, I think." Jacob looked down, and even without my express permission, he continued. "Did you really not want me to come? To the wedding, I mean."

I looked at him, confused.

"Edward sent me the invitation." He clarified. "I was actually thinking up ways to stop the wedding when _he _called about you coming over."

I slapped him over the shoulder, even though it would do no damage. "And I'm the selfish one! You would really ruin my _wedding_?!" My voice cracked in all the right places as I screamed.

"Would you relax? I'm not going to anymore." His voice was splintering with the sunniness I had missed. The funny, warm Jacob. The one I thought I'd never see again.

"I don't want you to come because you feel obligated to."

He simply nodded.

"And I talked to some of the guys from the pack. They hate me for suggesting this, but..." His posture stiffened, like he was on the defense. "Don't ever come back." He said with force, and then brought his voice to a whisper. "If you stay away, I promise the pack won't get you or your bl...family."

I pecked him on the cheek, hoping that would satiate his hunger. He looked content.

"If you change your mind..." He offered, but I headed towards the Volvo regardless.

"I won't." I called back, leaving him behind. "But thanks for the offer."

Edward rested comfortably on the hood of his fancy sports car. When I was a few feet away from him, he perked up instantly. He swung around the car, and opened the door for me. I climbed in, exhausted from all the walking.

"Are you okay?"

He was waiting. Waiting for me to break down in tears. I sat in the seat stoically, not shedding one tear. Edward was right—I really did need the closure.

"I'm okay now." I looked powerfully into his golden eyes, which seemed to make every ounce of trouble I once had disappear. "I'm really okay now."

**Thank you EVERYONE who is reviewing! Seriously, it makes my day complete. So...you keep the reviews coming, I'll keep the chapters a comin'.**


	19. Chapter 19 R is for Rocky Road

**I wrote this chapter while I myself had a nasty cold, and it seemed ironic that I would post it while I had yet another one. So...enjoy the irony.**

**Chapter Nineteen – R is for Rocky Road**

I woke up that morning with a terribly sore throat. It was uncertain whether it was from the early morning hours or the beginnings of a cold. Alice would certainly be upset if I showed up to her perfectly planned wedding with a sniffling cold.

So naturally, I tried hiding it. However, Edward saw through my act after the first five minutes. "Are you feeling alright?"

I sighed, "You don't know how lucky you are. Vampires can't get sick."

Flashes of sympathy flickered through his bullion eyes. "Maybe we should stay here today." There was doubt cast in his tone. I didn't want to ruin his plans for a romantic day, simply over a young cold. "I'll call the restaurant and cancel the reservation. We'll stay in bed."

"I just have a sore throat." I insisted with my now abrasive voice. Edward scowled when I insisted how fine I was. "Seriously, Edward... I'm fine..."

He began to plead with me. "Please let me take care of you." I had to admit—he was undeniably gorgeous, even as he pouted. He was gorgeous no matter what he was doing.

And I really did enjoy the idea of Edward taking care of me. It made me feel protected, as weird as it sounded.

"Lying in bed together." My fingertips did a dance along his forearm. "I like the sound of that." The way his eyes glistened, he liked the idea as well.

Around noon, he insisted that I get something in my system.

"Isn't the normal remedy Chicken soup?" He asked, clearly out of his element with discussing human foods, or health cures. I shook my head, slightly nauseated at the thought of condensed soup. I wanted something cold.

"I want something cold." Well said. "Ice cream sounds good."

His eyes lit up. "I'll be right back."

My body stiffened. "You're leaving?"

He called back from the doorframe. "Just to the grocery store. I'll be back before you can even miss me."

Even with my pouting, he disappeared. I heard his Volvo speed off in the distance, and I threw myself back into the pillows. All I had to do was sit and wait.

* * *

I had grown impatient in the next fifteen minutes or so, waiting for him to return. Moving at his inhumanly fast speed didn't seem to be fast enough—I wanted him back home.

He handed me a bowl with at least ten different scoops of various flavors. I looked at him--deservedly so--like he was completely insane. "My brain will freeze if I eat all this."

"You have no idea what you will be missing." He muttered, sliding the spoon closer towards me. "Eat up. There will be plenty of time to thaw out that brain of yours." The last part was meant as a joke, but his wry laughter took away the humor.

I took in the first spoonful—a cold remedy that slid down my throat beautifully. "French vanilla." He grinned, looking amused by my reactions.

"Very perceptive." I paused, taking a moment

"May I?' He had grabbed the spoon anyways. The spoon had a healthy amount of brown ice cream, and he slipped it casually onto my tongue. We lingered in the gaze a little longer than necessary, but his smoldering golden eyes made the cold substance melt faster.

"My favorite." I giggled euphorically once I had swallowed the entire spoonful.

"Rocky road." He grinned knowingly. "Now eat up, it's going to melt quickly." He handed me back the spoon, and I made no efforts to fight it. I really was craving that ice cream now.

Hours of laziness had aided my recovery. By the late afternoon, my sore throat had faded into a light tickle. Alice's perfect wedding would not be ruined. And I had managed to spend the day in my pajamas, with Edward right within reach.

"How are you feeling?" Edward asked, running his cool hands along my forehead. It lingered along my jaw line, and I grinned gleefully.

"Much better."

**Please review!!**

**(And just In case you were wondering, my favorite flavor is cookie dough.)**


	20. Chapter 20 S is for Swimming

**Wow! I love checking my email after about four hours and having twenty emails of reviews and story alerts waiting for me. It makes me immensely happy. **

**This is the last short little chapter I'm a little iffy about. The rest I enjoy, but I don't know how much of an unbiased opinion I have.**

**Sheesh, I'm rambling. Still don't own anything. **

**Chapter Twenty – S is for Swimming**

Alice had insisted on this turquoise swimming suit—claiming that I was much prettier than I believed myself to be. Every time she grabbed it faster than I could put it back. I claimed to have no money on me; she paid with her credit card. For the rest of the day she had that triumphant smile on her face, despite my guarantees that it would rot in my closet without being worn.

While I slipped off my old t-shirt, I was torn between being grateful and being unnerved.

In his presence, my speech was high-pitched and uneven. His perfectly sculpted, alabaster muscles had a dazzling effect on me.

The Newtons had left town for the weekend, and I had agreed to house sit for them. They had an in-ground pool in the backyard, and insisted I use it if the weather proved decent. Edward decided that the humid Saturday would be a great day to take advantage of their offer.

With that wild look in his eyes, I was putty in his hands.

Saying that he jumped would be inappropriate—the water was a needle, and his perfect body threaded it gracefully. There was no conceivable way for me to be as graceful—a mushroom cloud of waves erupted as I leapt in.

My entire body had been submerged underwater, as he was. His hands went smoothly through my hair like it was a thick patch of seaweed.

I didn't need to open my eyes to know he was smiling at me.

We rose together slowly. Time had seemed to slow down from the minute we hit the water. Once the blurriness from the chlorine had drained from my eyes, his beautiful face was the first thing I could see. And it was really, the only thing I wanted to see.

As soon as I opened my mouth to speak, it flooded with the mixture of his sweet breath and chlorine. It was intoxicating. "I'm not sure how this is a human experience. I thought vampires were good at swimming, on account of not needing to breathe."

His smile was infectious, and I had certainly caught it. "We are. I just wanted a way to cool you down. This humidity must be unbearable."

Beads of water dripped from his hair down his forehead. I stroked a few of the streams away from his dark gold eyes. "I've got a great way to cool down." I pulled him forcefully, until there was no space between us. "That's much better."

He grinned obligingly, but heavy clouds drifted into the atmosphere. Rain soon trickled down. Edward's body was cold, and the rain was warm. It seemed oddly backwards. But I would not be complaining anytime soon.

* * *

About an hour had passed since the rain started, but Edward and I remained in the pool as long as possible. I had a towel wrapped around me as I locked the front door. "Why don't we go scuba diving?" I exclaimed, my voice reaching pitches I had never heard before. I sounded as if I belonged in a mall clutching a Chihuahua and drenched in the color pink. To remedy it, I cleared my throat. "I've always wanted to go scuba diving."

He laughed ferociously. "I'll tell you what. As soon as you feel you're up for it, I'll take you scuba diving."

"Wherever I want?"

He nodded, and I beamed with pride. "I'm not letting you forget this."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

**Review and I'll post faster!**


	21. Chapter 21 T is for Tent

**If you've seen "The Holiday" (a very cheesy girly movie) then you'll have a great visual representation of this chapter's setting. Again, this chapter is a little short, but the next few are quite lengthy.**

**Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twilight universe. Not me. :(**

**Chapter Twenty One – T is for Tent**

"I have a present for you." He said, shutting the door to his house gently behind us. I glanced at him angrily, but he jumped in before the yelling could commence. "Don't worry. This part cost me literally nothing. Except a few hours to set up." He guided me gently by my hands. Today he didn't even bother to cover my eyes, yet I voluntarily snapped them shut. I was afraid of what I would find waiting.

He chuckled once he realized my eyes were stitched shut. "Open your eyes, Bella."

My eyelids slid open, and my breathing ceased for a few moments.

Bedsheets—all various shades of pink and cream—were carefully constructed into a canopy. My eyes darted back from the construction, to him. He was grinning wide and his eyes sparkled today more than usual.

He must've seen my wide-eyed excitement.

"Go on in." He practically pushed me in. On my hands and knees, I crawled on top of pillows and reallocated myself to rest comfortably on my side. When he didn't follow me directly, I watched him through a small crack. Leaning casually along the wall, he flicked off the lights.

I braced myself for complete darkness. To my surprise, through the translucent sheets, strings of white Christmas lights along the top shone like stars in the sky. The beauty of it enthralled me—it was like being under the stars. Something the rain clouds had taken away lately.

His cold hands along my arms caught me off guard.

I had been rendered speechless, so I just laid there while Edward lay next to me. His fingertips skimmed my skin delicately, and I just stared up. The longer my eyes attached to the Christmas lights, the more memories I was flooded with, and the more blurred my vision became.

"Is this okay?" He asked, so unsure of himself. Normally confident, Edward was a nervous wreck today. He must have seen my tears. "You're crying. Please don't..."

His finger wiped away one tear, and a choked laugh escaped. "It's not... I'm not crying because it's bad. It's just..." I had to remind myself to breathe once again.

Edward watched patiently until I could finish my story.

"Renee used to do this when I was a kid, so we could pretend we were camping without actually needed the outdoors. We would lie on our backs, look up and pretend we were looking up at the stars." I smiled faintly, at the beautiful memory that I was now sharing with him, the most important thing to me ever. "How did you..."

"I spoke with Renee, actually." Edward confessed, with a look in his eyes that made him feel so devious. The white lights reflected in his topaz eyes, framing his face perfectly. "I wanted to do something special."

I made it plain to see when our palms intertwined, and kissed his tenderly. "You are very special to me."

He was smiling, but there was something more. Something in his eyes that he was keeping from me. It was driving me crazy not knowing—and it was clearly driving him crazy not being able to tell me.

"Do you have any plans for the next two days?" He asked plainly. I took a few minutes to think. No work. I shook my head. "Well, now you do."

From his back pocket, he retrieved and slid two long and skinny envelopes towards me. I examined them carefully. Two airplane tickets.

I looked at him incredulously. Our wedding was in three days, and he wanted to go away with me. Whether it was the plane tickets, or the makeshift night sky, or his sweet breath on my neck—I was speechless, and demanding an explanation. Clarification. Anything.

"Why..." I was stammering like an idiot, and he merely grinned.

"I won't be able to give you a proper honeymoon." This caused him to look down sullenly. The sudden drop in his voice made me feel miserable. "Not for a while, anyway."

After the sullen moment earlier, his demeanor perked up suddenly. Maybe he was trying to coax me into giddiness with leadership by example. "It's a very secluded villa."

"Don't tell me you own an island!" I groaned, half joking. Edward retrieved my head from my hands, and stroked my hair comfortingly.

"For us, I'd say it's more along the lines of rental." He said, as if it would comfort me. "It's supposed to be very warm and sunny. And it's right on the ocean. We can spend the day on the sand." He was salivating over the idea, and I was finding myself tempted.

I raised one eyebrow. "Just you and me? Alone?"

He bit his bottom lip, which panicked me slightly. I loved the idea of having Edward all to myself—it was selfish, but I didn't want to share. "It was kind of Alice's idea, so she...sort of invited herself and Jasper along."

I chuckled timidly.

"It's a quite sizeable place, and she promised to give us our privacy." The tip of his nose traced my cheek, and led him to my ear. His whisper was unhealthily consoling. "If you want, I will tell her to stay home. I'll rip up her plane tickets. I can handle disappointing Alice, but you I cannot handle disappointing."

Surprisingly, I frowned. "Don't rip her plane tickets. We'll be fine." My voice was frighteningly small. His eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "I have to pack, you know."

He smiled. "No you don't. Already done for you."

"Do you think of everything?"

"Pretty much." His smile was very smug. "You are getting better at handling surprises."

"You're lucky I'm in a very good mood tonight." I grinned. Our hands intertwined, and I nestled in under his arm.

"You're right." He kissed the bridge of my nose. "I'm very, very lucky."

**Okay, just a few last notes. First of all, I'm terrible with logistics. So if there's something that seems unlikely about these next couple chapters, I'm sorry. This entire story was basically instant gratification for me. If I wanted to see Edward and Bella going to a secluded island, then they went. I didn't really think logically.**

**Second, THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed, or added this story to their favorites, or put me on their author/story alert list. It means leagues to me.**

**Finally, I will try and update as soon as possible. Perhaps reviews would help?**


	22. Chapter 22 U is for Uno

**C****hapter Twenty Two – U is for Uno**

Edward was tapping a nervous melody on the arm rest. I had managed to win a window seat, though I had a better view looking at his gorgeous face. The silence was driving me crazy.

"This is really weird." I sighed, and he abruptly turned his head towards me. "It's been some time since I've been on a plane without worrying." There was a hint of pain in his crooked smile, but I was trying to lighten the mood. "No one is trying to kill me. You aren't in Italy on the brink of suicide. Renee won't be waiting for us impatiently, dying to interrogate us."

"What'll you do with yourself?" He asked sardonically. The pain was hidden from sight now.

I thought of airplane rides I had taken with Renee, and how she would insist on doing something—talk, read the same book, anything. And I always kept an Uno deck on hand

"Want to play Uno?" I asked, distracted by my hands shuffling through my purse. Both Alice and Jasper had spun around by this point, and were hanging on every word I said. Luckily, I still had the tattered deck, just in case of emergencies.

"What's that?" Edward said in a childlike manner. I raised one eyebrow, and turned to our audience.

"Alice, Jasper. You guys in?" They nodded, though they had no idea what I was talking about. I smiled a very smug smile, because for once I was the expert at something.

* * *

"It's not even fair!" I shrieked, looking at my spread. "Whose idea was this to play?"

"Yours." Both Edward and Alice said in synch; their voices were unexpectedly calm. They both only had two cards. When I had suggested the game, it slipped my mind that one could see the future, and one could read minds.

"How was I supposed to know you were supposed to call it out?" Jasper's impatience was obvious. He grabbed his cards, nearly ripping them as they joined his deck. "You never told me..." There was no one in particular he was talking to. He was merely venting his frustrations—something I was doing as well.

"You guys have to be cheating." I exclaimed, slapping my cards down on the table.

"No one likes a sore loser, Bella." Alice chimed in, laying down a yellow reverse.

"You're one to talk!" Edward scoffed. "Baseball, 1972."

"I knew you were going to bring that up." Alice exhaled noisily, lowering her head. Jasper grinned knowingly as he laid down a yellow seven. I, however, remained in the dark. "You know I replaced it the next day."

"Replaced what?" I laid down a green seven. No yellows rested in my hand.

"She claimed that it was a good run." Edward said, despite Alice's pleas of silence on his part.

"It was a good run." She interjected.

Edward laid a wild card. "Blue."

"She went berserk when we said it was out, and she attacked an old iron playground a few yards away." Jasper finished the story for him. "Carlisle forced her to crash her Mercedes into the ruins as a plausible excuse for the destruction."

"That was a nice car." Alice pouted, and slapped down a blue three. Maybe that's why Alice hadn't had a car until the Yellow Porsche... Jasper laid down a blue draw two. I frowned.

"Like I don't have enough cards." I sulked, grabbing two more from the pile.

"Doesn't matter." Edward began scooping up all the cards. "We're landing."

In a few seconds, he had the entire pile neatly arranged and in my palm. Alice began gathering her things back into her designer purse. We all stood and filed out of the plane once we had landed.

"Now we're going to the hangar. You reserved the right plane, correct?" Edward muttered to Jasper, leading me towards a large warehouse-type building. Jasper nodded. I knew we would be taking a second, smaller plane to the island. But Edward's talk of reservations confused me.

"Who's going to fly the plane? Jasper?" I giggled until I noticed how still Edward, Alice and even Jasper were. "You've got to be kidding." I muttered under my breath,

"Technically..." Edward elongated his speech where each syllable was enunciated. "He did receive his pilot's license in the late nineteen nineties."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

I stepped onto the small aircraft, still clutching his hand tight. Without difficulty, Edward swung our luggage onto the floor of the plane. My head rested comfortably in his lap; he stroked my hair and sang my lullaby as I drifted to sleep.

The next thing I remembered was Edward's hands on my shoulder, gently stirring me. "We're here."

Still half asleep, he carried me effortlessly in his arms. The darkness of night engulfed the four of us, and the dull roar of the ocean calmed me even more than his cold embrace. I was so tired, I barely noticed much else of anything in the pitch blackness.

He brought me inside a rustic villa, the kind you would see in the movies as a nice resort. It was well-furbished and very open, allowing a nice sea breeze to run rampant through. In my capris and tank top, I felt very comfortable. He laid me down on top of the bed, and I refused to change into my pajamas. I was too relaxed on the soft mattress.

Even with my excitement for what tomorrow would bring, I coasted to sleep easily.

**(A big thank you to everyone who is reading and/or reviewing!! Keep it up! I'll post faster!)**


	23. Chapter 23 V is for Vacation

**Chapter Twenty Three – V is for Vacation**

I had been awake for most of the slow sunrise. Edward was standing at the open window, his hair messed by the slight sea breeze. He must have heard me stir, because soon his body pressed against mine.

"Good morning." His breath was deliciously sweet. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very." I stretched out my arms, resting them carefully behind him. He brought me closer, cooling me from the heat of the room. "How are you doing?" I examined his eyes—they were growing darker, more like a dirty brass than gold.

He kissed my forehead and sighed. "Better. Now that you're up." I nestle under his arm comfortably. "What would you like to do today?"

My smile was seductive and devious. "I think you know what I want to do."

"You will be the end of me." He groaned, his hands sliding along my sides. "I am trying desperately to protect your virtue..."

"I'm going to sunbathe." I declared, slipping out of bed. I listened to his warm chuckling through the door while I changed into my bathing suit.

As I strutted out onto the beach, he was only a few steps behind me. He was always a few steps behind.

* * *

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel him sparkling. The rays were bright enough to penetrate my eyelids. It made me smile—he was brighter than the sun.

The contrast between the sun's warm rays and his cold hands was stark enough to send shivers down my spine. It was like my senses were doing dances of joy at his very touch.

"You look very warm." He murmured, his cold nose nuzzling my earlobe.

"And you are very...affectionate." I giggled when his lips pressed against my cheek.

Without any effort at all, he had picked me up and thrown me over his shoulder like I was a sack of flour. I kicked my feet about as he ran (slower than normal—more like a human) along the beach. "Put me down!" I screamed through laughter.

"As you wish."

I was back on my feet He chased me along the shore, our feet dragging along the soaking sand. My laughter was difficult to contain, despite my breathlessness. Finally, my feet gave out, and we crumbled together onto the sand. We were a snarled knot of bare limbs, gazing into each others eyes with a fiery passion.

His lips mumbled something, but the sparkling distracted me. Soon, he pressed his lips against mine. There was a sense of urgency about the way he kissed me—like every second mattered. My heart pounded frantically, my breathing now incontrollable. He pushed loose strands of hair away from my face, sweeping the flushed cheek with his arctic palm.

And then he kissed me. My back pressed further into the sand with more pressure from his lips.

"You are absolutely beautiful in the sunlight." He murmured, brushing my cheek, and seemingly astonished by me.

I giggled softly. "You're not too bad yourself."

* * *

The sun was setting, and Edward's sparkling soon faded. Irregardless, he looked beautiful to me. We sat together closer to the villa. Alice and Jasper were inside, but sat together as still as statues. We had our privacy.

"So...can I give you your wedding gift now?" I took a deep breath, and prepared myself for it. He motioned around. "This." I only noticed the villa and the sand stretched around us.

"What, the island?!" I exclaimed, waiting on bated breath for the punch line. He nodded sincerely. "Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? An entire island as a wedding present." The harder I tried to wrap my brain around the idea, the more ludicrous it became. "Edward, seriously."

"I'm very serious." He smiled. "People of wealth often acquire property to ensure privacy."

"Yeah. Reclusive celebrities and oil tycoons buy their own islands." I slid away from him, outrageously upset with him. Did he think I would want something like this? An entire _island_?

Suavely, he wrapped his arms around me with a vice-like grip. "You are turning a delicious shade of pink. May I ask why?"

"Because you're being _ridiculous_!" He laughed at the way my voice was cracking. I fought with all my might to break his mighty grip, but I was losing. "It's a ridiculous amount of money, and I cannot and will not... accept it." My breathing had become violently out of control. He merely looked at me calmly, breathing evenly.

"Technically, this is a hand-me-down. Carlisle purchased this piece of land right after Rosalie joined our family. He got quite a good deal on it." Edward's smirk was satisfied. "You'll get sick of Alaska, and since you refuse to accept a faster car, all I can give you is this."

His reasons were rational, but I was still upset.

"Are you angry?"

"Yes!" I shrieked, losing good and logical reasons to be upset. Then I broke down and told him the real one. "I didn't know we were getting each other gifts. Now I have to get you something."

His beautiful laughter vibrated in my ears while he cupped my chin with his fingers. "You." He kissed me briefly but tenderly. "Are the best gift I could have ever received."

"I'm not an island." I murmured, mesmerized by his cold touch. "We're incomparable."

"You're right." He kissed along my jaw line. "I can live without the sun or the sand. You, I cannot live without."

Like ocean waves, happiness washed along my shoreline.

* * *

I was pouting--Alice was the most superstitious vampire I had ever met. Edward and Jasper were leaving a few hours before we were—in accordance with the "you can't see the bride 24 hours before the wedding" legend that Alice was unflinchingly rigid on. The boys would be hunting all night, in preparation for spending so much time around my human family, friends, and me. Though he would return in a few hours to pick us up, Jasper and Alice were whispering their goodbyes to each other a few feet away, and I had given them their privacy.

Besides, I had something to distract myself with.

"I miss you already." His palms were clenching mine. My back was pressed against the side of the villa as we whispered our goodbyes. "I love you so much."

I fought desperately with the tears in my eyes—I hated leaving him. "I love you."

"It's only one day. One long, torturous day." The words seemed to sorrowfully trail off at the end. His eyes darted around. "Then, until the end of time, wherever you are, I'll be there too."

"You'd better." Tears choked my laughter.

Jasper motioned that it was time to go. Edward pressed his forehead against mine, and I stared at him through tear-blurred eyes.

"I'll be counting the seconds." He whispered softly. The tears ran rampantly as he broke away from me, and blurred away from me. Alice's granite hand rested sympathetically on my shoulder as I choked back a sob. She stood there silently, letting me trail Edward with my eyes in peace.

She would have me for the next 24 hours, to be filled with final wedding preparations. I swallowed hard, mentally preparing myself for a long 86400 seconds.

**Is this chapter a little illogical? Yes. But it was one of my favorites to write, so :P **

**Next up...the wedding! (Review please!)**


	24. Chapter 24 W is for Wedding

**Chapter Twenty Four – W is for Wedding**

I was pacing Alice's room with ferocity. The nerves lingering in my stomach were more than mere butterflies—they had evolved into giant pterodactyls, eating at my inside. If Jasper had been in the room, he would no doubt erase all my nerves. But Rosalie, Esme, Alice, Angela, and Renee insisted that only bridesmaids and parents were allowed in. Charlie was the lone male in the room, and he was drowning in an ocean of estrogen.

"You're going to burn holes through the floor if you don't stop pacing." Renee began running her hands along my back. It did nothing to calm me, but to appease her, I collapsed onto the bed. Emmett had helped transplant the phony bed from Edward's room to Alice, to continue the illusion. "It's your wedding day, relax."

"Those words combined seem a little misplaced." My breathing had become labored since I sat down. "Weddings are not meant for relaxation. Not for the bride, anyway."

"It's just cold feet, darling." Esme said, trailing her cold hands along my hair, careful not to mess up the elaborate mess of curls. Alice and Rosalie had their fun, treating me like a mannequin in a beauty school.

There was a knock on the door. A familiar voice called through the wooden frame. "Is it alright if I come in?" My pterodactyls eased up, and I was elated at the sound of his voice.

Alice and Rosalie rushed to the door instantly, barricading us in. Both yelled in synch about how it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. It seemed ironic, because no doubt Edward could see me through Alice or Rosalie or even Angela's thoughts.

Like an obedient brother, he remained on the other side of the door. "Well then, is it bad luck if I talk to her through the door?" He sounded defeated over not being allowed entrance. Alice agreed that it was okay, but he couldn't even open the door a crack. The other women in the room migrated towards the closet, allowing us as much privacy as possible. "You look beautiful, Bella."

His words confused me. "But you haven't even seen..."

"I don't need to see how you're dressed or what your hair looks like. You're always beautiful." My cheeks instantly began to burn, and I wanted nothing more than to burst through this barrier and wrap my arms around him. "Today is no exception."

Instead, I took another step towards the door, and pressed my hand against the solid oak. "I love you." I could feel him pressing his body against the door. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

"It will only be a little longer." He said eloquently, "I love you." His voice was barely above a whisper, but his words enveloped me like a tender hug. We lingered together a short while longer, pressing ourselves against the wood and pretending nothing was separating us.

Charlie's voice entered, claiming that it was time to start. Edward murmured amorously, "I'll see you soon" before making his way towards the backyard.

Alice, Rosalie, Renee, and Esme all wished me luck as they exited, leaving me alone with Charlie in the room. "So, are you ready?" Charlie asked, offering me his arm.

"I'm ready." I took a deep breath. "Are you?"

He shook his head. We shared the feeling about it. "Never. Let's get this over with."

* * *

The morning's rain had faded to a light mist. Still, I was eternally grateful that Alice thought to set up a canopy. Every detail of the wedding had been planned vigilantly, which had annoyed me during the process, but now impressed me. Rows of white chairs were now filled with more people than I could recognize. The minute I had agreed to a formal wedding, all of Forks had been invited.

But the only person that mattered was standing at the edge of the canopy, smiling ardently.

The crowd rose simultaneously as Charlie and I reached the back row. I was trying my hardest to divide my smiles amongst the crowd. It seemed like every camera flash in the state was blinking as we walked down the aisle. I was nearly blinded by them. Still, I felt the undivided attention of Edward radiating from him like a thousand rays of sun.

Our pace slackened when we reached the end of the aisle. "I love you, Bells." Charlie said, his voice cracking with tears. I gave him a peck on the cheek, and Edward was soon standing in front of me.

He held his hand in mine, and whispered to me tenderly. "I told you. You look stunning."

My knees felt weak, and I was certain I would pass out. But I buckled down, using Edward's grip as my crutch. The preacher began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of these two young lovers."

Staring at Edward and his flawless beauty, I couldn't hear a single word the preacher said. All I could think about was how lightheaded I felt whenever he kissed me. How I would drift asleep in his wintry embrace. How his lips would trace my neck, and I could forget how to breathe.

"Isabella Swan, do you take Edward Cullen to be your husband? In sickness and in health, 'til death do you part?"

Edward smiled at me coyly, as if the last sentence were an inside joke. Happiness radiated throughout me and I smiled as I said it. "I do."

"Edward Cullen, do you take Isabella Swan to be your wife? In sickness and in health, 'til death do you part?"

His response was so quick he nearly cut the preacher off. "I do." He flashed his dazzling smile. The rain dropped heavily on the stretched canvas above us, providing a beautiful rhythm to this perfect moment. I found it difficult paying attention, even now. I had never felt love like this before. And I wanted to know no other love.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

My anticipation for this ceremony was nonexistent. But as soon as Edward cupped my chin with his hand and smiled, I wanted time to slow down. I wanted to cherish this feeling for the rest of my life. As we kissed, Edward was more cautious than I had ever seen him. He kept the kiss brief, to ensure that I wouldn't pass out at the altar.

He pressed his forehead against mine, letting our lips linger a few centimeters apart. Sparks were shooting down my spine as we touched. Our fingers fused and our eyes locked together as we walked down the aisle.

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen. It had a certain ring to it, no doubt about it.

* * *

The inside of the Cullen's house was buzzing with people. Alice had planned a cocktail party rather than a sit down reception. Edward and I stood in the foyer, greeting and socializing. My stomach was rumbling quiet with hunger, but the loud music drowned out the sound.

"That was a beautiful ceremony, despite the weather." Renee cooed, clutching Phil so she wouldn't fall apart. "I'm so happy for you." She lightened her grip on Phil long enough to hug both of us at the same time.

"I'm glad you could make it out, Renee." Edward murmured so politely.

Renee slapped him on the shoulder playfully. "Don't be silly, Edward. You're family now—call me mom."

"Alright." Edward only grinned, but I knew he would be doing no such thing.

Before the conversation carried on any longer, a new song began, and Renee dragged Phil onto the dance floor.

Edward's face rested comfortably on my neck, his hands on my hips. It looked as if he could tackle me at any minute.

"It's over now." He whispered, looking up intensely into my eyes. He knew how much I wanted this whole wedding thing to be over, and he knew how much of a relief it was that it was over.

"Not quite..." I murmured, looking at the clock. The party had only started an hour ago. We had a very long night ahead of us.

* * *

We waited outside until all of the guests had taken off. Between dancing and drinking, no one had really noticed our absence anyway. Like a good cop, Charlie was sure that anyone who had too much to drink found a designated driver.

The house was completely empty now. To give us our privacy, the other Cullens would be busy setting up our new home in Alaska. Only Edward's room and my own remained in Forks.

I led him back towards the house—it _had_ to have been near three o'clock. I turned the doorknob, and his hand stopped me from going forward. He raised one eyebrow at me, and without any supernatural powers, I knew what he was thinking.

I could barely speak through my laughter. "You're really traditional aren't you?"

He scooped me up in his arms, like the giant ball of fabric that I was. His smile was luminescent as he twirled me around. "Yes, I'm very traditional."

He managed to get the door open with me in his arms, and his steps were long and proud. "That's what newly married couples do. They walk over the threshold. We don't need any more bad luck, do we?" He kissed me on the bridge of my nose, and grinned at me for the one-thousandth time today.

"Alice really loves throwing parties, doesn't she?" I asked when he finally placed my feet back on the ground. He nodded, agreeing. He began running his hands along my warm arms, providing cool relief.

He waited a few seconds before speaking. "Thank you, Bella."

"For what?"

"For letting Alice do this. It means a lot to her." He paused, playing with the sloppy curls hanging off my head. He kissed my cheek gently. "And it means a lot to me too. You were very brave today."

"It wasn't really that bad." I shrugged. He was now running his lips along my jaw.

"You are amazing. When I thought it wasn't possible to love you anymore, you help me find a way." He wrapped his arms around my waist, and looked me in the eyes dead-on. "So what would you like to do now, Mrs. Cullen?" I absolutely adored the way he said my name. I found the idea that I was tied to him forever completely irresistible.

I looked at the clock—it was exactly midnight.

"I think you know what I want to do." I gave him the most seductive smile I was capable of.

**What are they going to do next... ;) Thank you EVERYBODY for the reviews. One of my goals this summer was get 100 reviews in a story, so mission pretty much accomplished! I read and cherish every single one! Please please please continue reviewing! It makes staying up until 1:00 in the morning so I can write these chapters TOTALLY worth it.**


	25. Chapter 25 X is for expletive deleted

**Chapter Twenty Five – X is for expletive deleted**

I could barely recognize Edward's room when we entered it.

It was impeccably clean—the sheets incredibly taut, a well-made bed. Beautifully soft music played on the sound system I was too afraid to touch. Red rose petals littered the bed and the floor. White candles burned with dull orange flames, reflecting strikingly off his pale skin.

He'd obviously had too much time to think about this.

"What do you think?" His hands slithered along my waist, a content smile obvious in his voice.

"It's..." The words caught in my dazzled throat. "I love you."

One quick peck on the cheek, and I was ready. The cream colored fabric draping me suddenly felt like lead hanging around my body. I was quick to remedy it.

He watched cautiously as I slipped off the designer dress, revealing a simple cream-colored slip Alice had insisted on wearing underneath.

His eyes were filled with brand new awareness as he examined my exposed skin. His lips trailed my collarbone slowly—my pulse was steadily increasing. I ran my fingers through his hair, then down along his neck, stopping at his shoulder blades.

Moonlight filtered through the window, providing enough light to highlight the beautiful curves of his face. The seemingly endless wedding that night had kept up my end of the bargain, and this was my reward. I was terrified, and Edward—who normally was my rock—quivered slightly. He approached me cautiously, as if I were a china doll about to crumble in his strong hands. Each motion was performed with care.

We both sank deeper, falling onto the mattress.

"Whatever happens tonight..." He stammered, reluctantly removing his lips from my skin. Our eyes locked, and I noticed there was so much fear in his eyes. "I promise I will not hurt you."

"I trust you."

He returned to the kissing that made my knees tremble. Motions were carefully executed as I slipped off his suit jacket. This felt perfectly choreographed—his hands on my waist, my hands on his cheeks. It was miraculous that my heart didn't explode from the pure ecstasy I was experiencing.

His hand slipped a spaghetti strap onto my shoulder, and then stopped abruptly. His hesitation made me nervous.

"Are you ready?" I asked. We both trembled in time. After a moment of thoughtful reflection, he nodded slightly. One last course of anxiety ran through me, and a deep breath brought calmness throughout me.

I undid the first few buttons—he didn't dare stop me after that.

* * *

That night, his promise was kept.

He never hurt me. Not once.

* * *

**So I guess the chapter doesn't technically start with an X. But I figured that looked cooler than XXX. :) Only two more chapters left!! (Review while you can!!)**


	26. Chapter 26 Y is for Yawn

**Whoops. I forgot a disclaimer in the last chapter. So...I'm not stephenie Meyer. I don't own the characters in the story.**

**And that goes double for the other chapters.**

**Chapter Twenty Six – Y is for Yawn**

My body was thoroughly drained. Between the wedding, the move to Alaska, and the long flight, I just had no energy left. Not to mention the anxiety I had about what would be happening in less than 24 hours.

Edward had probed me all day about what I wished to do on my last full day as a human. However, I was spent. Creatively bankrupt. There were no good ideas in my head, and clearly Edward was just as wasted. So the day had been spent unpacking my things and settling in. He held my hand the entire day, and with his beaming smile, I had nothing to complain about.

The Cullens had set up a beautiful new room. It was spacious, with my chocolate brown walls. Wide glass windows gave us a gorgeous view, and while most of the actual possessions (including the bed) were from Edward's room back in Forks, I felt at home.

I collapsed onto the bed, gently crushed by the weight of my husband. I was still trying to wrap the word around in my head, but it sounded awkward every time I thought of it.

"Please..." His voice was painfully quiet. "Sleep, just for a little while."

There would be no arguing with him over this tonight. But then I had one of those moments where the light bulb illuminated over my head. I grinned at him. "I know what I want now."

He looks at me obediently with one eyebrow raised.

"I want you to sing me to sleep."

His expression turned instantaneously to compliance. "What would you like? Your wish is my command."

I remembered the song I heard ice skating. The beautiful melody had been stuck in my head ever since that day. And I salivated at the thought of hearing him sing it. "You know."

He began without skipping a beat. "_I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you_." His voice was low, and lulled me. I fought to keep my eyes open with every ounce of strength I had. "_Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you. I've seen the path your eyes wandered down. I wanna come too." _His fingers explored my jaw, leaving me with a sleepy grin. "_I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you."_

"_No one understands me quite like you do. Through all the shadowy corners of me_." I sighed in ecstasy. Fighting to stay awake was growing more difficult—my motivation was to hear his silky voice longer.

"_I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you_." His hands traced my skin. "_Yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you. I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine, now I'm shining too_." I closed my eyes, but his flawless face lingered in my mind. "_Because, oh because, I've fallen quite hard over you_." His arms gripped me even tighter and I kept my eyes shut. "_If I didn't know you, I'd rather not know. If I couldn't have you, I'd rather be alone_."

"_I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much. All of the world, light up a room."_ He smoothed down my hair, and I was fading fast. "_I_ _never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop I love so much. All of the world, light up a room. All the world. Here with you_."

"Thank you." I murmured while he hummed a few soft notes.

And for the last time in my existence, I drifted asleep in his arms.

**Sorry they're all so short—most of my (little) energy is going towards the other four stories I'm writing. But out of all the chapters I wrote, this one was my personal favorite. Short but sweet, I think.**

**Please review!!**


	27. Chapter 27 Z is for Zero Hour

**This is it. The end. :( It's been a great ride, and for my first Twilight fic 100+ reviews. Wow. I'm speechless. You've all been awesome—and you will continue to be awesome. Now enjoy!**

**Zero Hour: "**the time set for the beginning of any event or action"

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**Chapter Twenty Seven – Zero Hour**

My heart was pounding its last few beats. The pulse felt extremely high, despite my overall calm. Edward seemed to be more nervous than I was, but his job was a lot more difficult. If things went wrong, I would die quickly. But Edward would have that guilt for eternity.

Needless to say, Edward was trembling like a flower in a rainstorm.

"Please tell me what you're thinking about right now."

His voice was overflowing with desperation—the distraction was needed right now.

"I was thinking how I forgot to say thank you." He raised an eyebrow at my gratitude. "You were undeniably giving these past few weeks. Concerts, dinners, gifts..." I made a small face at that word. "I cherished every second I got to spend with you."

A smile fluttered onto his lips—mission accomplished.

He rested his forehead on mine, his topaz eyes stitched shut. Each breath he took in seemed to be more painful than the previous. I didn't need to read minds to know what he was thinking. He was treasuring these last few beats. I did nothing to rob him of that.

After a few minutes in excruciating silence, his eyes opened, and he gazed with panic into my eyes. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with beautiful and relaxing oxygen. "Are you ready?"

Said trembling intensified, and his eyes somehow managed to burn and freeze over at the exact same time. The nod was so small, I barely caught it. His mouth moving towards my neck, I couldn't miss.

His voice was softer than a whisper. "Close your eyes." His eyes were apologetic and remorseful, but they were pleading me to obey. I didn't wish to fight. "I love you, no matter what." He said as I slowly crept into the darkness.

I felt his strong teeth pierce my skin. My eyes shot open, without even thinking.

I remembered that moment in the dance studio, when Edward had saved me. That same burnings sensation began as a pin-sized drop, but began spreading like a wildfire. Every ounce of control I had over my body was surrendered to the ever-increasing pain.

"Edward..." I moaned, the venom slowly radiating throughout my body. I looked intensely in his eyes, desperately seeking his relief. He ran his cold hand along my forehead, stroking my hair. "Please...don't..." The words sort of evaporated before I could speak them.

"Don't worry, love. I'm not going anywhere."

I felt his cold lips kiss my forehead one last time before the pain gripped me.

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**That's it! If you want more, I may have a few tricks up my sleeve... ;-) But you're going to have to review first!**

**UPDATE: please check my profile, I have the full story about the sequel up there.**


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